A faith leader has called on the Scottish Government to provide funding to stop hate crimes being committed at places of worship.

Puneet Dwivedi, of the Hindu Forum of Britain, told MSPs on the Public Petitions Committee that Holyrood needs to provide cash in a similar manner to Westminster.

The UK Government offers £1.6m in grants for the safety of religious sites in England and Wales.

Mr Dwivedi said there were several instances in recent years of hate crimes committed at places of worship in Scotland.

A Hindu temple in Edinburgh has been targeted with a number of break-ins, while a man deliberately set fire to the door of the Sikh Guru Nanak Gurdwara in the city last summer.

The Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Glasgow was vandalised with anti-Islamic graffiti in June this year. Bringing a petition to the committee, which was signed by 329 people, Mr Dwivedi called on a similar funding stream to be set up in Scotland aimed at improving security in places of worship that have already been the target of hate crimes.

He said: "People should be able to worship free from intimidation, violence or any abusive behaviour.

"Acts of hatred against anyone based on religion, faith or ethnicity must not be tolerated. Government must protect those who are vulnerable."

Mr Dwivedi explained: "There is already a scheme in England and Wales, last year there was a fund of £1.6m to counter the effects of hate crime.

"(The fund) has helped churches, gurdwaras and mosques down south to upgrade their security, that way people will be hesitant to commit a hate crime because of the presence of cameras and other things.

"I'm just requesting the Scottish Government implement the same scheme in Scotland as well."

He added: "It is important to provide the congregation with peace of mind when they attend their places of worship.

"On behalf of the Hindu community in Scotland and all other minority groups, I urge the Scottish Government to bring forward a strong legislative framework to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry."

Mr Dwivedi said members of minority communities tend not to report hate crimes, feeling incidents are a "one-off" and they will pass or they will be judged for speaking out.

The faith leader said he approached the Scottish Government for help but was told funding was not available.

Scottish Conservative MSP Brian Whittle said: "I'd just like to say, i find it really sad, that in this day and age, we still have to deal with this."

The committee agreed to contact the Scottish Government to find out if the measure could be supported, along with asking the UK Government if there is data to show the benefits of its scheme.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "Any form of hate crime or prejudice is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

"We are committed to working with Police Scotland and others to safeguard all communities.

"Ministers are exploring what more could be done for all faith communities and their places of worship, including the issues around safety and security.

"The Justice Secretary attended a meeting with stakeholders to discuss this and will provide an update in due course.

"We would encourage organisations with concerns about security or safety to contact Police Scotland."