Piyali Majumder, a leader of an Aurora Hindu community group and temple, said she felt “shaken” when she heard Wednesday of an alleged plan to attack a nearby Aurora temple.
“I was shocked. I was disheartened,” she said. “I was scared both for my safety and my family’s safety because my daughter goes with me to the temple all the time.”
Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, is accused of plotting an attack last Sunday at the Sri Venkateswara Swami Balaji Temple on Sullivan Road in Aurora, according to law enforcement authorities. His rifle jammed, and he notified a co-worker, who called 911 which helped stop the potential massacre, authorities said.
Paporakis had hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition and a manifesto expressing white supremacist and extremist ideologies, police said. He had been planning the attempt for up to two years, Cook County prosecutors allege.
Last Sunday, Majumder noted, was also the first day of the nine-day Hindu festival of Navarathri, when thousands of people had gathered at Sri Venkateswara Swami Balaji Temple, and hundreds had gathered at her own temple, including herself and her family, she said.
Those gathered were celebrating a holiday that represents the “power of good over evil, that good always wins,” she said.
The news this week left some area Hindu leaders unsure how to safely celebrate the holiday, Majumder said.
But, Majumder said, several temples including her own have decided to carry on their celebrations with additional security provided by the city of Aurora at their places of worship. Worshippers have also continued to sign up for those events, she said.
“As administrators, how do we like, you know, carry on?” she said.
“It takes time to kind of process it, and I think we are still in a shock,” she said. “On one hand, we don’t want to stop our festival, like kind of respond to an act of hatred, but also we have to think about the security of our community of so many people.”
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Leadership at Sri Venkateswara Swami Balaji Temple released a statement to its worshippers Wednesday stating the temple had implemented additional security measures, including an armed security presence. Leadership also said they were in direct communication with the Aurora Police Department.
“The safety of our devotees, employees and volunteers is our highest priority,” the statement read. “We are taking additional steps to ensure an ongoing safe environment for everyone at the Temple.”
Aurora police have consistently patrolled all temples in the Aurora area since last Sunday afternoon, said Aurora Public Safety Media Manager Jim Levicki.
Officers aim to be both a physical deterrent for anyone looking to do harm and an emotional support for the temple communities, said Levicki.
A group of area officials also met with leaders of Sri Venkateswara Swami Balaji Temple on Thursday and had productive conversations about security measures, said Aurora Ald. Mike Saville, whose 6th Ward includes the temple.
Officials at the meeting included Saville; Ald. Shweta Baid, 10th Ward, who attends the temple; representatives from the Aurora Police Department and temple leadership.
Baid, who said she has been going to the temple for over 20 years, said she felt disturbed when she found out about the alleged attack, so close to home for her.
The temple is so important in the community, she said, as it provides educational tutoring and even provides some medical resources. She also said its one of the largest temples in the area and attracts people from far outside Aurora.
“Everybody’s very shocked,” Baid said. “This is such a peaceful place. People just come there to worship and celebrate festivals and there are weddings and birthdays and good food and everything.”
Baid said that people in the Aurora Hindu community reached out to her this week, saying they felt scared and were looking for answers.
Baid said that some Indian-American parents from the area said they were especially concerned, saying their children have recently reported feeling an increased sense of hate or discrimination.
She said while she has not seen increased tensions toward the Hindu community in the area, she has seen examples of increased hate crimes and vandalism across the country recently.
Aurora Mayor John Laesch said he feels that the Indian-American community in Aurora has been impacted by a national message of division, which he described as an “agenda that seeks to divide America based on race,” he said in an interview with The Beacon-News.
“This specific threat has impacted the Indian-American community in Aurora and is probably more common, sadly, more common than it should be because of that amplified message of hate and division coming from Washington, D.C.” he said.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who was at the temple Sunday, said following the alleged attack that the Aurora case is an example of “how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become.”
Laesch said at this point he is most interested in seeing the Aurora community step up collectively to protect each other.
“To look out for each other when any one of us is under attack,” he said.
Baid said she just wants to make sure people feel safe, especially when attending the temple.
“No one should ever feel unsafe while going to their place of worship or following their faith and gathering as a whole in the community,” she said. “I think we should watch out for each other and just have more love for each other.”