Author: Harvey Rice
Publication: Houston Chronicle
Date: December 1, 2003
Temple's members fear they're targets
A string of arson attacks, under
investigation by a two-county task force, may be targeting members of the
Hindu faith, a leading member of a Houston-area Hindu temple says.
"People are concerned and we would
like to have the responsible leaders look into this," said Natubhai Patel,
a member of the Shree Swaminarayan Temple.
Patel and other members of the Hindu
community believe the victims of all 11 fires under investigation by the
task force were Hindus.
The latest victim was Sudhan Patel,
no relation to Natubhai, whose house in the 12200 block of Tambourine burned
to the ground Friday.
One of Sudhan Patel's neighbors,
who asked that her name not be used because she feared retaliation by the
arsonist, said her back yard was doused with a flammable liquid and set
ablaze about two months ago.
The woman, who is acquainted with
six other Hindu victims, said there is deep concern among the members of
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Temple, which she attends. "We are scared," she
said. "We cannot sleep."
Fort Bend County Fire Marshal Vance
Cooper said he wasn't sure if all the victims were Hindu. "I don't have
enough information to say, yes, they are being targeted, and not enough
to say, no, they are not," Cooper said. "I know we have had a series of
11 fires and that we feel they are related. What we need is help from the
local community."
Investigators have issued a composite
drawing of a man seen near several of the fires who is sought for questioning.
The fires, which occurred over the
past six months, are being investigated by a task force of arson investigators
from the Houston Fire Department, Fort Bend County, Harris County and the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The fact that the victims have been
Hindus suggests the Hindu community is being targeted, Natubhai Patel said.
"We don't know really who would be behind it," he said. "It's anybody's
guess."
