ISLAMABAD: A Hindu temple was vandalised in Pakistan's southern Sindh province after miscreants set fire to holy books and idols inside the premises, leading to shock and fear among the community. The arson attack took place in the Sham Sundar Shewa Mandli Temple situated in Kumb, a town in Khairpur district of Sindh province last week, Samaa TV reported.
The suspects entered the temple and set fire to idols and three sacred books, including Bhagwad Gita and Guru Granth Sahib, which were kept in separate rooms. The fire destroyed the books and the idols. The miscreants fled from the scene after committing the crime. An FIR has been registered against the unidentified persons.
The police found fingerprints from the window of temple and have taken three persons into custody, said Vijay Kumar, in-charge of the temple. Surprisingly, there is no caretaker at the temple, located in a Hindu populated neighbourhood. The community believed that the place of worship was safe enough and it is situated near their respective houses.
Also, the door has not been locked as many people come and visit the temple. The Hindu community said it had not received any threats. Expressing concerns over the security of Hindu temples, Rajesh Kumar Hardasani, the adviser of the Pakistan Hindu Council, has sought the constitution of a special task force for enhanced protection of other Hindu temples.
Attack condemned
Condemning the attack on the temple, London-based Pakistani human rights activist and spokeswoman for Justice for Minorities in Pakistan Anila Gulzar said that only 20 temples out of 428 are left. "I strongly condemn the brutal act of vandalism committed against Shri Ram Mandir in Badin Sindh Pakistan on 10 October. Out of 428 only 20 mandirs are left in Sindh," Gulzar said in a Facebook post.
The case is yet another example of deplorable conditions of minorities in the state of Pakistan. Hindus constitute the largest minority community in Pakistan but there have been repeated reports of vandalism committed against Hindu temples. The Hindu community has expressed anger and outrage at this attack.
Sindh region has been constantly witnessing attacks on the minority Hindus over their faith. Hindu girls are being raped or forcibly converted and married off to Muslim boys. In May, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had condemned the razing of houses of people from the Hindu and Christian communities in Punjab province's Bahawalpur city. "HRCP is gravely concerned at reports that houses belonging to the Hindu and Christian communities of Yazman in Bahawalpur have been demolished, allegedly by local authorities with political influence," said HRCP in a tweet.
Islamabad has been discriminating against its religious minorities. This is manifested in various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings, abduction, rapes, forced conversion to Islam, etc., making Pakistani Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyyas, and Shias the most persecuted minorities in the region.
