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
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.
Ramesh Kumar, a Hindu community leader said after the attack that the initially slow response from the police had made the situation and the damages to the temple worse.
The trouble in Bhong started after a court ruling that granted bail to an eight-year-old Hindu boy who had been arrested for intentionally urinating on a carpet in the school library housing religious texts.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack, saying he has ordered the provincial police chief to take action against any officers whose negligence may have contributed to the attack. Khan also promised the government would restore the temple.
In New Delhi, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said such “incidents are occurring at an alarming rate while the state and security institutions in Pakistan have stood by idly and completely failed in preventing these attacks”.
Additional reporting by dpa
