Tariq Saeed
Peshawar
As Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed on Thursday took suo-motu notice of mob attack on the Hindu temple in Karak district, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police has arrested more than 31 suspects and registered a case against 350 others for their alleged involvement in act of mass vandalism
While the JUI-F district leader Maulana Mirza Aqeem has also been nominated in the FIR for allegedly inciting the riots and instigating the mob to attack on the temple, the security officials were conducting raids to arrest the remaining suspects.
The Krishna Dwara temple, situated in Karak’s Teri union council, it may be recalled, was attacked by hundreds of residents who torched the building. They surrounded and vandalized the temple for hours amid allegations that police were missing from the scene. Advocate Rohit Kumar, a representative of the Hindu community had said the residents violated the agreement by vandalizing the temple.
However, the Muslim residents of the area claimed that the Hindu community was illegally expanding the temple building and that the matter was reported to the police too.
Video clips going viral on social media show hordes of people breaking and desecrating the site while chanting slogans. Smoke could also be seen emitting from the shrine after it was set on fire.
Earlier in the day the 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 Thursday said the provincial government would rebuild the temple.
He assured that the culprits involved in setting ablaze the temple and inciting the mob will be punished and rights of minorities will be protected at all costs. Kamran Bangash said the Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as the Chief Minister
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan had condemned the incident. He said the Karak DPO and deputy commissioner have been directed to investigate the matter and submit a report at the earliest
