Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province was attacked by a Muslim angry mob of adult males on Wednesday, 4th August; burned down parts of it and damaged idols of the Hindu gods there. The attack was a reaction to an alleged desecration of a Muslim seminary. The Hindu temple is situated in Bhong City, some 590 km away from Lahore, was descended by hundreds of people.
The angry mob has claimed that the cruel attack by adult males on the Hindu temple was in retaliation to the 9-year-old boy's alleged urination near a library of the Muslim seminary in the area. The attack took place after a local court granted bail to the Hindu boy.
A video of the incident of temple destruction was posted by a Pakistani Hindu community leader and ruling PTI MP Ramesh Kumar Vankwani on a social media site. The footage from the attack scene shows a Muslim mob smashing the windows, doors and idols of Hindu gods with sticks and stones. He posted the video requesting law enforcement agencies to arrest and punish the culprits. “Negligence by local police is very shameful,” he wrote in one of his tweets.
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“Chief Justice is requested to take action, please. Interfaith harmony is the need of time," he added.
The mob in the video can be heard raising slogans of "Nara-e-Takbeer" and "Allah hu Akbar" while destroying the temple premises.
The boy who urinated, who was alleged to have urinated on the carpet of the madarsa, has been accused of committing blasphemy and this is punishable by the death sentence in Pakistan. The mob was so that the local police couldn't stop them from committing the criminal act.
Pakistan Rangers have been called in to control the situation area.
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No arrests have been made, District Police spokesperson Ahmed Nawaz Cheema said the situation was brought under control. Our priority is to restore law and order and provide protection to the minority community,” said District Police Officer Rahim Yar Khan Asad Sarfraz
Around 100 Hindu families are living in the area, he informed.