Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The US Congressional Caucus on India has called for a thorough federal investigation into an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The caucus urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice to examine the failed plot as a possible federal hate crime and determine whether anyone encouraged, assisted or coordinated with the 19-year-old accused, either online or offline.
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In a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, Congressmen Rich McCormick and Ro Khanna, co-chairs of the House India Caucus, said: “This plot did not emerge in isolation but reflects broader, troubling trends.”
The lawmakers asked the FBI and the Justice Department to bring all charges supported by the evidence. They also urged the agencies to share timely information about threats with state and local law enforcement authorities, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras and other South Asian places of worship, and to offer them protective resources.
McCormick and Khanna also sought a briefing for the caucus on threats facing Hindu Americans and Indian Americans, as well as the steps being taken by the Justice Department and the FBI to address them, according to PTI.
The letter said FBI data showed an increase in reported hate crimes targeting Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist communities in 2025.
It also cited findings by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate, which said anti-South Asian hate posts on X rose by about 240 per cent between January 2024 and June 2026. A 2026 survey by the Carnegie Endowment found that one in four Indian American adults reported being called a slur since the beginning of 2025.
The lawmakers said the attempted attack in Aurora highlighted the danger posed by rising hostility. “Every American deserves to worship without fear. We urge you to treat this case, and the hate behind it, with the seriousness it demands,” McCormick and Khanna said.
The House India Caucus has sought a federal hate-crime investigation into the alleged Illinois temple shooting plot, stronger information-sharing and protective support for South Asian places of worship, and a briefing on threats facing Hindu Americans and Indian Americans.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
