A Muslim mob attacked a Hindu temple in Punjab, Pakistan, burned part of the temple and damaged the statue. According to the police ruling, the Pakistani Rangers have been summoned to control the situation.
Police said that mobs attacked a Hindu temple in Bhong Township, Rasin Yar Khan District, about 590 kilometers from Lahore on Wednesday, in response to an alleged desecration of a Muslim seminary. Last week, an 80-year-old Hindu boy allegedly urinated in the seminary library in the area, which led to tensions in Bhong, where Muslims and Hindus have lived in peace for decades.
On Wednesday, Pakistani government member Tehreek Insaf, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani posted a video of the attack on the temple on his Twitter wall, asking law enforcement agencies to rush to the scene to prevent it from “burning and vandalism.”
In a series of tweets, he said: “Assault on a Hindu temple in the Bhong Rahimyar Khan district of Punjab. The situation has been tense since yesterday. The negligence of the local police is very shameful. Please take action by the President of the Supreme Court.”
Dr. Vankwani further said: “Severe measures must be taken against those who attacked the Bhong Hindu temple. Contact the higher authorities. The current situation is very critical.” “The Chief Justice is asked to take action. Inter-religious harmony takes time,” he said.
According to District Police (DPO) Rahim Yar Khan Asad Sarfraz, law enforcement officers have controlled the situation and managed to disperse the rioters. He said: “The rangers have been summoned and deployed around the Hindu temple.” The DPO further stated that some 100 Hindu families live in the area and police have been deployed to prevent unfortunate incidents.
He said that no one has been arrested so far. “Our priority is to restore law and order and provide protection to minority communities,” said Sarfraz. Another police officer said the temple was badly damaged. “The attackers carried sticks, stones and bricks. They crushed the gods while holding up religious slogans,” he said, adding that part of the temple was burned down, and Dr. Vankwani confirmed this.
The police officer said that the Hindu minor who allegedly blasphemed the library of the Bang Sharif Seminary was arrested last week and booked under the blasphemy law, but was later released on bail for being a minor. On Wednesday, after he posted on social media inciting Bhong people to avenge the blasphemy, he said that crowds began to gather outside the temple and attack him.
“We will arrest criminals who incited people to attack temples,” DPO Sarfraz said.
