Police Arrested 14 People For Taking Part In Attack On Hindu Temple

(@fidahassanain)

Police arrested 14 people for taking part in attack on Hindu temple

The police say that further raids will be conducted to arrest more individuals involved in setting the Hindu shrine on fire in Karak.

PESHAWAR: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Dec 31st, 2020) Police on Thursday conducted raids and arrested 14 people so far over charges of setting Hindu shrine in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The local police conducted raids overnight and detained 14 people and further raids were being conducted to arrest other individuals who took part in burning the shrine and setting the shrine on fire.

The tragic incident grabbed attention of minorities’ rights activists in and outside Pakistan.

The mob attacked the Hindu shrine after the authorities allowed them to renovate the building.

Taking to Twitter, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri strongly condemned the attack on Hindu shrine in Karak. He wrote: “a conspiracy against sectarian harmony”. He took to Twitter on Thursday, saying attacks on places of worship of minority religious groups are not allowed in islam and “protection of religious freedom of minorities is our religious, constitutional, moral and national responsibility,”.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmad took suo motu notice of attack on the Hindu temple in Karak on Thursday.

The Chief Justice directed One-man commission on minorities' rights, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa secretary and Inspector General of Police (IGP) over the incident. The top judge fixed the matter for hearing on January 5 at the principal seat of the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

A mob of hundreds of people set Hindu temple ablaze and burnt the shrine of Hindu saint Shri Paramhans ji in the area.

The CJP took the notice after videos and pictures of the tragic incident went viral on social media, trigging serious debate about the minorities' rights and protection in the country.

According to Supreme Court of Pakistan's Spokesman Shahid Hussain Kamboyo, MNA Ramesh Kumar called on Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and discussed the tragic incident.

He said that the MNA was informed that the notice on the incident had alraedy been taken and the case had been fixed for hearing on January 5, 2021.

“The CJP expressed serious concerns over the incident and took notice,” a statement issued by the SC's spokesman read.

Human rights activits in and outside the country expressed serious concerns over the matter of burning temple of Hindu saint and setting it ablaze in Karak. According to some reports, the local clerics incited the people to do so in reaction to the Hindus' attack on a mosque in India.

Fida Hussnain

Fida Hussnain is a lahore based journalist. He writes on politics, religion, social issues and climate change. He is also a research fellow at University of Gujrat.