Over 50 held for attack on temple

LAHORE: Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies on Saturday arrested over 50 people, including the main suspects, allegedly involved in an attack on a Hindu temple in a remote town of the country’s Punjab province.

The arrests come a day after the Supreme Court admonished the authorities over their failure to protect the shrine.

“More than 50 suspects have been arrested so far through analysis of video footages in the ransacking incident at a temple in Rahim Yar Khan,” Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar tweeted. “We will make sure that no such incident happens (in the future). Besides, the restoration work of the temple is under way in full speed.”

District police officer of Rahim Yar Khan, Asad Sarfraz told PTI that all “main suspects” in the temple attack case have been arrested. An FIR has been registered under terrorism and other sections of the Pakistan Penal Code against over 150 people for their involvement in attacking the temple, he said.

A mob attacked the temple at Bhong city of Rahim Yar Khan district of the province, some 590km from Lahore, in protest against the release of an eightyear-old Hindu boy, who was arrested for allegedly urinating in a local seminary.

Chief justice Gulzar Ahmed said that vandalism at the temple had brought shame to the country and that the police acted like silent spectators. Pakistan’s Parliament on Friday also condemned the attack.

India on Thursday summoned the Pakistani charge d’affaires in New Delhi and lodged a firm protest over the incident and the continued attacks on the freedom of religion of the minority communities and their places of worship in Pakistan.