Pakistani police arrest 50 people suspected of ransacking Hindu temple

The trouble in Bhong started after a court ruling that granted bail to an eight-year-old Hindu boy who was arrested for intentionally urinating on a carpet in a library housing religious texts

The mob alleged the boy committed blasphemy, an act punishable by death in Pakistan where mere accusations of blasphemy have in the past incited mobs to violence

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Indian activists burn Pakistan’s flag. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:56pm, 7 Aug 2021Updated: 10:31pm, 7 Aug 2021

Police have arrested 50 people suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple in a remote town in eastern Pakistan and are searching for another 100 suspects, it was revealed yesterday.

The attack on the temple in the town of Bhong in Punjab province on Wednesday followed the alleged desecration of an Islamic religious school by a young Hindu boy earlier in the week.

The unruly mob burned down the Gnesh Temple’s main door and damaged statues.

Jam Ghaffar, the area police chief, said order had been restored after the deployment of extra police and a paramilitary force, and police were looking for the remaining suspects.

“We have arrested more than 50 people for vandalising the temple,” senior police officer Abdul Ghaffar said. “We are hopeful to arrest the suspects in a few days.”

Punjab’s chief minister said that police were using video footage to find the suspects involved.