Hindu temple in Pak vandalised, FIR filed

ISLAMABAD: A Hindu temple was vandalised in Kumbh town of Sindh province over the weekend, prompting Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan to call on the provincial government to take swift action against the perpetrators.

The attack took place in the Sham Sundar Shewa Mandli Temple situated in Kumb, a town in Khairpur district of Sindh province on Sunday evening. The suspects are believed to have entered t he t emple at around 6 pm (local time) and set fire to idols and three sacred books, including the Bhagwad Git a and t he Guru Granth Sahib, which were kept in separate rooms. The fire destroyed the books and the idols. The miscreants then fled from the scene without challenge.

There was no caretaker at the temple because the community felt that it was safe enough since i t was surrounded by t heir houses. Taken aback by the attack, the Hindu community said it had not received any threats. After the incident, the local Hindu community in the area held a protest. An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons.

Expressing concern over the security of Hindu t emples, Rajesh Kumar Hardasani, an advisor to the Pakistan Hindu Council, urged for the constitution of a special task force for enhanced protection of other Hindu temples. “The task force should comprise non-muslims who should be deployed for the security of minorities’ religious places in order to avoid these kinds of incidents,” he said.