The place of worship was vandalized and an idol was desecrated. Will the police seriously pursue the matter?
by Marco Respinti
On June 8, five men on motorcycles arrived in the evening at the Korangi Hindu temple in Karachi, Pakistan. They entered, found two workers who were painting the walls, and asked whether the pundit taking care of the temple was around.
When the workers answered in the negative, the men started smashing offering bowls and throwing stones at an idol, breaking it in several places. They threatening the workers that if they would report them to the police, they will come back and punish them, and left.
However, the pundit and the police were called, and a detailed criminal complaint was filed.
Both Korangi Senior Police Superintendent Faisal Bashir and Murtaza Wahhabism Siddiqui, the Karachi Administrator, promised to investigate, look for video footage of the area, and bring the criminals to justice.
Local journalists expressed their outrage. Sectarian attacks against religious minorities are a daily occurrence in Pakistan. They would not continue if the radical Muslims who perpetrate them would not benefit from a certain tolerance by the authorities. Hindus are somewhat skeptical that in this case, as in other ones, promises of action will be followed by facts.
