25 noise complaints filed against Hindu temple: Anonymous neighbors fume over events at Fremont temple
A dispute has erupted between residents of a California neighbourhood and a large Hindu temple after locals complained about loud music, late-night events and crowds gathering at the religious site, NBC Bay Area reported. The complainants wants to remain anonymous, the report said.Residents in the Bay Area have filed more than 25 noise complaints against the Fremont Hindu Temple, also known as Vedic Dharma Samaj, alleging that a series of events featuring loud music and people yelling have disrupted the neighbourhood.Video footage shared by a neighbour shows flashing lights and loud noise continuing beyond 9 pm, despite the absence of a special event permit at the time.In recent weeks, residents say they have faced another particularly noisy event, leaving them frustrated and struggling with their daily routines.“I could tell you that we have had issues with sleep. We have had problems waking up in the morning because these events sometimes go on for very late into the night and it’s been very frustrating,” one neighbour told NBC Bay Area anonymously.“We saw hundreds of people at 9:30 and the noise was still going on,” the neighbour said, describing a recent event organized by the temple.“The first week we moved in, there was almost like a concert-like setting in our neighborhood here,” another resident said.The temple had obtained a special event permit for the particular event, NBC Bay Area reported. However, residents alleged that the noise continued beyond the 9 pm deadline for amplified sound.The city said it had received complaints about the event and was investigating them.Residents want the temple to consider restricting the number of people attending its events.“City staff will continue coordinating with the temple and adjacent neighbors, monitoring activities and adjusting future permitted activities as appropriate to work toward constructive solutions to the issues that have been reported,” the city of Fremont told NBC Bay Area.Neighbours have also raised concerns about noisy events taking place during school hours.However, residents have clarified that they are not opposed to the temple organizing events. Their concern, according to the news station, is that the religious organisation should be more considerate about how these gatherings are conducted.“They’re drawing 10s of thousands of people, a more appropriate venue with proper permits would be more appropriate here,” one resident said.Videos and photographs shared on social media by the Fremont Hindu Temple show a range of events taking place at the site. Some posts feature gatherings with hundreds of thousands of people in attendance, while others show religious ceremonies involving music and offerings to different Hindu gods.According to its website, the Fremont Hindu Temple has been serving the Bay Area since 1985. Its main objectives include providing the Hindu community with a place to worship, meditate and conduct various religious ceremonies.The temple’s history goes back to the early 1970s, when waves of immigrants from India, including engineers, doctors and their families, began settling in the Bay Area and practising their faith in their homes.As the number of immigrants increased and the Hindu community expanded, members decided to purchase a building in 1982 to establish a permanent place of worship where they could gather and conduct religious ceremonies.
