Dozens of people reportedly vandalised a Hindu temple in the town of Bhong and blocked the Sukkur-Multan Motorway after an eight-year-old Hindu boy, who allegedly urinated in a local seminary, was granted bail by a local court on Wednesday.
The boy, Bhavish Kumar Meghwar, had accidentally entered a seminary in Bhong on July 24. Local cleric Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim berated the eight-year-old boy and reportedly, Meghwar urinated out of fear of the cleric’s anger.
The boy then ran away and hid before the cleric could catch him.
The next day, the cleric went to Bhong’s police station and registered an FIR against the boy. Since the boy was only eight, the FIR was lodged against an unknown person. The police presented Meghwar in court a few days later, where he was granted bail.
Following the court’s decision, a mob of young men gathered and vandalised the Shree Ganesh Hindu temple in the town.Hindu residents of the area alerted the police, who allegedly did not take the reports seriously. By the time the local police arrived at the scene, most of the temple and its idols had been damaged or destroyed. Following the police’s arrival, the mob soon dispersed.
Hindu residents of Bhong, of whom there are 150-200 families, appeared afraid and distressed after the events.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari condemned the occurrence on her Twitter handle, adding that the event “violates our constitution and the basic human rights The minister added that she is in contact with Rahim Yar Khan police so that action is taken against the perpetrators. Mazari also said that the parliamentary secretary will be visiting the area today.
Hindu and other minority Pakistanis are condemning the incident and questioning the protection of minorities all over social media.
The All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat also urged authorities to properly investigate the attack and arrest all culprits.of our citizens”.