Alleged Hindu flag burning |
New York police are searching for clues to a possible arson attack occurring on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, in which a male suspect set fire to 40 Hindu flags outside a home in the Woodhaven district.According to police reports, an unknown suspect entered the front yard of the victims’ home late night and set fire to 40 flags, known as jhandis. The suspect was wearing a jacket and baseball cap and carrying a travel bag. Police have released a grainy video of the incident, which shows that the suspect arrived at the scene, torched some flags and left, then returned to the scene of the crime to set more flags on fire.Jhandi flags are a common sight in Hindu households typically in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago. They are rarely seen in Hindu households in India. The bamboo poles with multi-color cloths are usually placed next to the family’s private temple inside their home or at their place of worship.Each color in the flag represents a deity and usually bears a picture of the deity. The flags are placed after a pooja and are used to indicate the presence of a Hindu household. The pole is placed in a hole filled with milk and grain to symbolize purity.Murali Balaji, director of Education and Curriculum Reform at the Hindu American Foundation said any isolated anti-Hindu attack in the United States is an attack on us all.
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