A violent religious mob set fire to a Hindu temple in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan, trying to tear it to the ground.
Crowds of thousands, believed to be led by Islamic clerics, stormed the Hindu temple in the village of Teri, in the Karak district, on Wednesday, starting to snatch bricks from the walls and set them on fire.
No one was in the temple at that time. Footage of the scene shows the crowd greeting slogans and cheering greeting the destruction.
A Hindu temple was demolished in Karak today by religious extremists. This is a very shameful moment for us, because it reflects the way we treat minorities in our country.
You cannot run a federation unless and until the rights of minorities are protected. Strongly judgmental. pic.twitter.com/PJOKZA3a1l– Ihtesham Afghan (@IhteshamAfghan) 30 December 2020
The shrine, first erected in 1919 before the partition of India and Pakistan was divided, was recently renovated following an order from the Supreme Court in 2015. It was the second time it was demolished, following an incident in 1997. when it was destroyed. by a group of Muslim fanatics.
Police and guards were stationed outside amid fears of the temple.
“It has been beautifully renovated and the community loves the work, but it always remains threatened by the extremists who destroyed it last time,” said a local who requested anonymity. “I can not say how much it was destroyed, but people say it was badly damaged.”
Anger began to build over the past few days after the construction of a small property next to the temple, which according to the residents was unlawfully an unauthorized extension of the sanctuary.
Another local told the Dawn newspaper: ‘More than a thousand people, led by some local elders of a religious party, have been protesting and demanding the removal of the Hindu place. Residents of nearby villages had announced a protest demonstration a few days earlier, which was completely ignored by the police. ”
Police confirmed that permission had been given for a peaceful demonstration, but the people the law took into their own hands after revolting speeches raised the crowd.
Lal Chand Malhi, a politician from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, condemned the destruction as an “unfortunate incident”.
“Police officers assured me that they would arrest the offenders as soon as possible,” he said.
Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted: “Strongly condemns the burning of a Hindu temple by a Karak mob, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. The KP government must assure culprits [are] brought before the court. ”
Mazari said the government would investigate the incident. “We as a government have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all our citizens and their places of worship,” she said.
As an Islamic state, Pakistan has often seen its Hindu minority as hostile and Hindu places of worship are increasingly vandalized or violent targets. Earlier this year, a Hindu temple in Karachi was vandalized after a local Hindu boy made allegations of blasphemy.
In July, Islamic activists blocked the construction of the first Hindu temple in Islamabad by challenging it in the courts. Last week, the state body, the Council for Islamic Ideology, gave permission for the progress of the project.