ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday pulled up authorities for failing to stop an attack on a Hindu temple in a remote city in Punjab province and ordered the arrest of the culprits, noting that the incident has struck a chord with the country abroad. image has been tarnished.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, who took cognizance of the attack on Thursday, presided over the hearing in Islamabad. SC takes suo motu cognizance of the matter after the Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Hindu Parishad Dr Ramesh Kumar met the Chief Justice on Thursday. Hundreds of people attacked the temple with sticks and bricks, burnt parts of it and damaged idols in Bhong area of the province’s Rahimiyar Khan district to protest the court’s release of a Hindu boy for allegedly urinating . a madrasa.
A police officer said the boy was arrested last week and booked under blasphemy laws, but was later released on bail as he was a minor. “The situation spiraled out of control after the court granted bail to the boy,” he said.
Chief Justice Ahmed asked IGP Inam Ghani, “What were the administration and police doing when the temple was attacked.” The CJ said that the attack has caused serious damage to Pakistan’s reputation globally, Geo News reported.
“The priority of the administration is to protect the 70 Hindu houses around the temple,” Ghani said. Ghani said that the Assistant Commissioner and Assistant SP were present at the spot. The CJ was not satisfied and remarked: “If the commissioner, DCP and district police officers cannot demonstrate, they should be removed.”
He observed that this showed that the police did nothing but look into the incident, without realizing that it would damage the image of the country abroad. “A Hindu temple was vandalized, and just imagine what they must have felt. Imagine what would have been the reaction of Muslims if the mosque was demolished,” said the CJ.
The IGP tried to pacify the bench by saying that a case has been registered and terrorism sections have been added in the FIR.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, who took cognizance of the attack on Thursday, presided over the hearing in Islamabad. SC takes suo motu cognizance of the matter after the Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Hindu Parishad Dr Ramesh Kumar met the Chief Justice on Thursday. Hundreds of people attacked the temple with sticks and bricks, burnt parts of it and damaged idols in Bhong area of the province’s Rahimiyar Khan district to protest the court’s release of a Hindu boy for allegedly urinating . a madrasa.
A police officer said the boy was arrested last week and booked under blasphemy laws, but was later released on bail as he was a minor. “The situation spiraled out of control after the court granted bail to the boy,” he said.
Chief Justice Ahmed asked IGP Inam Ghani, “What were the administration and police doing when the temple was attacked.” The CJ said that the attack has caused serious damage to Pakistan’s reputation globally, Geo News reported.
“The priority of the administration is to protect the 70 Hindu houses around the temple,” Ghani said. Ghani said that the Assistant Commissioner and Assistant SP were present at the spot. The CJ was not satisfied and remarked: “If the commissioner, DCP and district police officers cannot demonstrate, they should be removed.”
He observed that this showed that the police did nothing but look into the incident, without realizing that it would damage the image of the country abroad. “A Hindu temple was vandalized, and just imagine what they must have felt. Imagine what would have been the reaction of Muslims if the mosque was demolished,” said the CJ.
The IGP tried to pacify the bench by saying that a case has been registered and terrorism sections have been added in the FIR.
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