Lahore: In Pakistan's Punjab province, a Muslim mob vandalised a Hindu temple by setting fire to parts of it and destroying idols of Hindu gods. Pakistan Rangers personnel were called in to control the situation when the police failed to do so.
The police reported that a mob attacked a Hindu temple in Bhong town of Rahim Yar Khan district on Wednesday. The site is about 590 kilometres from Lahore and was reported to have been vandalised by the mob after being instigated by some people on an incident that happened in a madrassa. An official said last week an eight-year-old Hindu boy allegedly urinated in the library of the madrassa in the locality, following which tension arose in Bhong. Hindu and Muslim communities have lived peacefully in the area for decades.
Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf MP Dr. Ramesh Kumar Wankwani on Wednesday shared videos of the temple attack on Twitter and requested law enforcement agencies to rush to the spot as soon as possible to prevent "arson and sabotage". He tweeted a series of tweets about the incident. In this, he said, "Attack on a Hindu temple in Bhong town of Rahim Yar Khan district. The situation was very tense yesterday. Shameful negligence of local police. I request the Chief Justice to take action."
Rangers deployed around Hindu temple
According to Rahim Yar Khan's District Police Officer (DPO) Asad Sarfaraz, law enforcement agencies have controlled the situation and dispersed the crowd. ''Rangers were called and deployed around the Hindu temple,'' he said. The DPO said about 100 Hindu families live in the area and police have been deployed to avoid any untoward situation. No one has been arrested in connection with the incident so far. ''Our first priority is to restore law and order and provide security to the minority community,'' he said. Another police officer said the temple has been badly damaged. He said, "The attackers had sticks, stones and bricks. The idols were vandalized by the crowd was chanting religious slogans. A part of the temple was burnt."
People provoked by social media post
The police official said an eight-year-old boy who allegedly urinated in the library was booked for blasphemy and arrested last week. He is a minor so he was later released on bail. The Sarfaraz said a crowd of Bhong residents, who had been provoked by a social media post in response to the incident, broke into the temple on Wednesday and vandalised it. ''We will arrest the miscreants who instigated people to attack the temple,'' he said.