31 arrested after mob attack on Hindu temple in Khyber Paktunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police has arrested more than 31 suspects and registered a case against 350 people for their alleged involvement in the vandalising of a Hindu temple in Karak district.

Karak DPO Irfanullah said JUI-F district leader Maulana Mirza Aqeem is also nominated in the case. He added that the security officials were conducting raids to detain suspects.

Residents in the Terri area of Karak were not happy with the ongoing renovation and extension of the temple which is why they vandalised it before setting fire to it, according to the community leaders. The mob was too big for the local administration and police to confront.

خیبر پختونخواہ ضلع کرک میں مندر کو نقصان پہنچانے کی کوشش پاکستان کے مذھبی ھم اھنگی کے خلاف سازش اور ناقابل برداشت ھے ! اس طرح کے رویے دین اسلام کی حقیقی تعلیمات کے خلاف ھیں ۔اقلیتوں کی مذھبی آزادی کا تحفظ ھماری دینی، آئینی ، اخلاقی اور قومی ذمہ داری ھے

— pir noorulhaq qadri (@NoorulhaqPir) December 31, 2020

The historic temple had stopped offering religious service after the 1947 Partition when all local Hindu families migrated to India. However, four years ago, the unfrequented temple was handed over to the Hindu community on the Supreme Court’s order. And it has been a pilgrimage site for Hindus ever since.

According to reports, local clerics were not happy with the handover of the temple to the Hindu community. The ongoing renovation further fuelled their anger which set off a chain of events that led to Wednesday’s vandalism, residents told a private source.

Earlier today, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed took suo-motu notice of the incident after a meeting with Pakistan Hindu Council chief patron Dr Ramesh Kumar. The case will be heard in the apex court on January 5.

The top court has also sought a report from the National Commission of Minorities as well as police chief and chief secretary of the northwestern province by January 4.

Special Assistant to KP CM Mahmood Khan on Information Kamran Bangash said PM Imran Khan and provincial chief executive had condemned the incident. He said the Karak DPO and deputy commissioner have been directed to investigate the matter and submit a report.

Bangash said the provincial government would rebuild the temple, stressing that the culprits will be punished and rights of minorities protected.