Hate violence in Sindh

In an unfortunate turn of events, communal hysteria swept up Larkana on March 15 after a Hindu was accused of desecrating the Holy Quran. The religious sentiments that the incident whipped up among the mob of protesters led to an attack on a Dharamshala. Its furniture and other articles were set on fire. Not content with this vandalism, the crowd also damaged some statues of Hindu deities in an adjacent temple. They were baying for the blood of a youth from the minority community who, they alleged, had defiled pages of the Holy Quran. The man escaped their wrath by the timely arrival of the police and Rangers who took him into their custody.

The allegation of desecration is yet to be verified from independent sources. But as happens in such a charged-up situation, hordes of people tend to take matters in their own hands. This happened on March 15 and 16 when the crowd damaged properties owned by the Hindu community in the city and organised protests in parts of Sindh and Balochistan. Clashes also erupted in Usta Muhammad where 10 shops owned by Hindus were set ablaze. All this hate violence incidentally took place on the day the Hindu community was celebrating the festival of Holi.

We cannot but condemn this outburst of rage and emphasise that the allegation of the desecration of the Holy Quran must be investigated in a fair and impartial manner. Also, whatever the instigation, it does not justify torching of a place of worship or properties owned by Hindus. As communal tensions are still high, the authorities must do all they can to douse the flames of communalism. It is to be welcomed that the authorities have already moved to work towards this end. A six-member inquiry committee, comprising police officers, religious scholars and elders of the Hindu community, has been formed to probe into the alleged desecration. The panel must start its functions speedily to verify the veracity of the charges and determine the guilty ones, who instigated the unrest.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2014.

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