Pravin Kumar, the Managing Trustee of Henderson’s Shri Ram Mandir has urged anybody with information on the act of arson at the temple on Labour weekend to come forward to help police apprehend the culprits.
Closed circuit television at the temple premises on Brick Lane shows two masked intruders pouring accelerant or fuel and setting fire to the inside of this popular West Auckland Hindu temple. The incident occurred at about 11:30pm on 21 October.
In a video published on the temple’s Facebook page, Mr Kumar says the temples CCTV showed two masked persons scaling the fence of the temple and forcing entry into the temple through a rear door. The persons appear to have broken open the door in the first instance and then returned to the scene to set fire to the temple hall.
Labour MP Phil Twyford, who represents the area, also appears in the video, condemning the arson.
Mr Kumar says in the video that thanks to the temple’s modern fire alarm systems, the sprinklers quickly doused the fires before it spread to other areas. “They poured an accelerant on the floor and then set it alight,” he adds. The damage was not severe and did not necessitate the closure of the temple or its services but the walls where the fire was lit and the floor of the hall would need repairs.
The seven-year-old place of worship is one of Auckland’s newer Hindu temples and is estimated to have cost $10 million to build. As well as being a place for worship, it serves the community as a cultural centre and hosts family and community functions. During the pandemic it served hundreds of needy people, acting as a hub for distributing food and and essentials.
In the video in which Mr Kumar speaks both in English and Hindi, he says he has no idea why the temple had been targeted, but not having answers worried him.
The temple never had threats, said Mr Kumar and was wondering why someone would want to target a place of worship that served people.
“We really need anyone who may have seen something suspicious that night to come forward.” Enquiries so far have led the police to treat the fire as “suspicious”.
If you have any information about the incident in the area on the night of 21 October, or who may have information that could help are urged to call police on 105 or go online.
Anonymous information can be provided via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.