Govt trashes temple demolition propaganda

Sindh rights body takes notice of news of attack on mandir at Soldier Bazaar

KARACHI:

Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui as well as Sindh government brushed aside the propaganda about demolition of Mari Mata Temple in Soldier Bazaar saying that the temple is 'intact' there.

Wahab in response to the rumors being circulated by some hostile quarters tweeted: "[I] have checked. No such demolition of the Mandir has taken place and Mandir is still intact".

"The administration has intervened and Hindu Panchayat has been asked to assist police in ascertaining the true facts. I will keep everyone posted on this. The Pakistan Peoples Party stands with people of all communities."

Meanwhile, taking notice of the rumours surrounding the 150-year-old Mari Mata Temple in Soldier Bazaar, the Sindh government also contested the claim about demolition of the temple. It ordered police and local administration to stop construction or demolition work at the piece of land that housed the century-old temple.

After an initial probe, the police said that Ms Rekha claimed to have owned the piece of land and the Hindu temple was built on a portion of the said plot. "And that too was moved from the said property to an adjacent small room several years ago," said an official.

Meanwhile, Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in a statement said it responded proactively to the news of attack on a 150-year-old Hindu temple in Karachi by taking Suo-Moto notice.

Earlier, unknown miscreants opened fire over a house of Hindu businessman and a Hindu worship place adjacent to his house, late Sunday night. Police also found an unexploded mortar near the site.

The incident has happened in the limits of Ghuspur police station of district Kashmore, one of the notorious area of the dacoits. Kashmore SSP Irfan Samo told The Express Tribune that the motive behind the attack is unclear as it did not seem a direct attack on the worship place. Police doubted that the attack could be a message for the Hindu businessman Nard Bagri who has already received calls and messages for ransom.

It is pertinent to mention here that it is not a temple but one-room and a hall surrounded by a boundary wall called 'Dera Sanwal Shah'. "No one was inside the place when the attackers opened the fires," the senior police official explained.

Security

Amid threats of attacks on Hindu places of worship and in response to the recent targeting of a Hindu place of worship in Kashmore district by Katcha area robbers, security measures have been intensified at all temples across Sindh.

Following the orders of IG Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon, 400 policemen have been deployed to various ranges and districts to safeguard the temples. These police personnel will serve on an administrative basis for two months. The IG Sindh emphasises the importance of cooperation from the Hindu community in supporting the officials on security duties at the temples, as it is also the police's responsibility to protect the minority communities living in Sindh.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2023.