On December 30, 2020, a mob in the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vandalized a Hindu temple, after which a set of photos began circulating on social media on which protesters with posters and a banner with ‘MANDIR BANAO’ were written.
Some netizens claim that Muslims in Pakistan started the “Mandir Banao” campaign after the Hindu temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was destroyed. The pictures is spread with captions such as: Muslims in Pakistan launched a Mandir Banao campaign after the Hindu temple was destroyed in a remote village in the northeast of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. How many Hindus in India started a Masjid Banao campaign after Babri Masjid was destroyed in 1992 ??
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the claim is not entirely true. These photos were taken in July last year when some people gathered in Islamabad to allow the construction of a Hindu temple in the capital of Pakistan. However, it is true that the recent incident of temple demolition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has attracted levels in Pakistan.
Netizens have similar posts on Twitter also. The archived version of the viral post can be seen here.
AFWA investigation
Using reverse search we found the viral images in several news articles published in July 2020. One of the photos is also available on ‘Getty Images”. The caption says that some people held a rally in Islamabad on July 8, 2020 and asked the government to allow the construction of a Hindu temple in the Pakistan capital.
The construction of the temple was opposed by hardline Muslim groups, after which the ‘Pakistan Ulema RaadExtensive support for the temple construction in Islamabad. A Pakistani court has also rejected petitions to stop the construction of the temple.
Recently it news agency PTI reported that the Pakistani government had given permission for the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad.
Demolition of the temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
On December 30, 2020, the Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj Samadhi Temple in the village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was vandalized and set on fire by a crowd led by a radical Islamic party, who claimed that the temple had invaded the country. About 1,500 people took part in the demolition of the temple.
Later, police in Pakistan said AFP news agency that they arrested about 45 people in connection with the incident.
The attack elicited criticism of human rights activists and Hindu community leaders in Pakistan. A day after the incident, Pakistani Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed took the matter for granted.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government also deplores the incident and announced the reconstruction of the temple.
But the viral photos are not related to the incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They were taken in July last year after a similar incident in Islamabad.
ClaimMuslims in Pakistan have launched a Mandir Banao campaign after a Hindu temple was recently destroyed in a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.ClosureThe photos are from July last year when some people gathered in Islamabad to allow a Hindu temple in the Pakistani capital.
JHOOTH BOLE KAUVA KAATE
The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.
- 1 Crow: Half true
- 2 crows: mostly lies
- 3 crows: absolutely false
