USA: on vandalism of Hindu temple, mosque, gurudwara, Indian-American lawmaker introduces bill

An Indian-American legislator in the US state of Michigan has introduced a bill to expand the definition of "hate crime" to include vandalism of a place of worship like a Hindu temple, mosque, or Gurudwara.

Michigan State Representative Ranjeev Puri's parents migrated to the US from Amritsar in the 1970s.

He has also introduced a bill to include Diwali, Vaisakhi, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Lunar New Year in the list of state-recognised holidays in Michigan.

Regarding his parents, Puri said, “As they emigrated to Wisconsin, they noticed there weren't a lot of people that look like them. They really helped build a community and as more and more people emigrated, they actually started the first Sikh Gurdwara in the state of Wisconsin. I watched them build a community into the Oak Tree."

In Oak Creek on August 5, 2012, six people were killed after a gunman with ties to white supremacist groups opened fire in a gurudwara. A seventh victim died later.

(With PTI inputs)