SC orders immediate arrest of culprits behind Hindu temple desecration

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Punjab police to immediately arrest the culprits who attacked the Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan while expressing displeasure over the police for failing to safeguard the temple.

The development coincided with a strong show of support for the Hindu community by lawmakers, who unanimously passed a resolution condemning the attack on the Hindu temple. The KP Assembly separately condemned the incident, as political figures across the country voiced solidarity for the community over the past few days. The temple was vandalised by a mob over allegations of blasphemy on Wednesday.

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Qazi Amin Ahmed heard the suo motu notice case on the vandalism of the Shree Ganesh temple in Bhong village of Rahim Yar Khan.

Punjab’s Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani presented a report of the incident to the court. The Chief Justice asked the IGP what the administration and the police were doing when the temple was attacked.

The IGP said the assistant commissioner and assistant superintendent of police were present at the spot and their priority was to protect the 70 Hindu homes around the temple. He said terrorism clauses were included in the first information report (FIR).

The Chief Justice remarked that if the commissioner, deputy commissioner and the DPO could not perform their duties, they should be removed. The incident has damaged Pakistan’s reputation at an international level, he added.

When Justice Amin asked if the police had arrested anyone, the IGP responded that police had yet to make arrests in the case. The Chief Justice expressed shock over the statement that even after the passage of three days no arrest was made.

“This case could have been solved by now if there were professionals in the police. Imagine, what would have been the reaction of Muslims if a mosque was demolished. A Hindu temple was demolished, think what they must have felt,” the CJP remarked.

He said the government should recover money for the repair and restoration of the temple from the perpetrators. Additional Attorney General Sohail Mahmood said Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the incident. Upon this, the Chief Justice said the Prime Minister should continue with his work but the court would look into the legal aspects of the case.

He observed that the culprits at large could cause problems for the Hindu community and sought assurances that such incidents did not happen again. He said peace committees should be set up to promote interfaith harmony.

The Chief Justice also criticised the police for registering a case against an eight-year-old boy and arresting him for alleged blasphemy. He asked did an eight-year-old child know the difference between a Hindu and a Muslim, and directed the IGP to dismiss the SHO responsible for arresting the child over alleged blasphemy.

The IGP said the SHO would be suspended and a departmental inquiry would be initiated against him. To this, the Chief Justice said the government officials enjoy suspension as they still get paid. He said the bureaucracy did not do any work as it was more concerned with enjoying the lifestyle.

He said nobody knew how the provincial administration works. He asked how the Punjab government evaluated the performance of the civil servants. The Punjab chief secretary said the government was making every effort to create religious harmony.

He claimed that hatred was spread during religious festivals. He also blamed social media for an increase in hateful content. The Chief Justice said the Karak temple case where an action was taken by the police was an exception, as in several other incidents, nothing was done despite court orders.

He said the police and administration start working after the incident. He asked the police to develop a system that stopped such incidents before they happen. The IGP assured the court that all culprits would be brought to justice in the case.

He said there was a mosque, an Imambargah and temple in Bhong. He said an Alam (religious flag) at an Imambargah was also burnt for which an FIR was being registered. He said three cases had been registered for the closure of the temple, Imambargah and motorway and all the suspects would be arrested via video evidence.

At this, lawmaker Ramesh Kumar said the suspect who incited the mob, had not been arrested as of yet. He said an eight-year-old boy urinated in his clothes after he was beaten up in the mosque and the details of the incident were distorted to incite hatred.

The court also expressed dissatisfaction at the Rahim Yar Khan commissioner’s performance and sought a progress report from the IGP and the chief secretary within a week. Later, hearing of the case was adjourned till August 13.