Temple arson: Police arrest five suspects allegedly involved in temple attack

Protesters claim attacks are an attempt to frighten Hindus into fleeing from their homes.

HYDERABAD:

As Hindu families continued to protest the attack on the temple for the second day running, police claim to have arrested five suspects allegedly involved in the attack.

Three unidentified men set the small temple of a Hindu deity, Hanuman, ablaze after demolishing the idol in SITE area on Friday morning.

The incident was linked with similar incidents in Larkana and Badin that took place earlier. No clash or violence between the religious communities, however, was reported in Hyderabad as had been the case in the other two districts.

SITE SHO Tahir Khanzada identified the arrested suspects as Adnan Butt, Humayun Khan, Naseem Khan, Imran Pathan and Rumaan Pathan. However, their political or religious affiliations and the place of their arrest were not disclosed.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Hindus and rights activists staged a protest demonstration on Saturday. The rally started from SITE area and culminated after a five-kilometre walk outside the Hyderabad Press Club. The participants raised slogans against religious extremism.

"Hindus are being targeted in all parts of Sindh," alleged Krishan Kumar, who represents the scheduled caste Hindus of Kali Mata colony where the attack occurred. "This is a deliberate attempt to frighten us so that we run away from our abodes."

Punhal Sario, who heads the non-profit Hari Porhiyat Council, came down hard on religious extremists, blaming them for atrocities against the minorities. "Sindh is the land of sufis, but for the last few years, we have witnessed continuous persecution of minorities, which forced many to migrate to India last year."

The protesters demand arrest of the culprits who attacked the temples in Hyderabad, Larkana and Badin.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2014.