May 21, 2012: A historic Hindu temple in Peshawar, Pakistan, which was reopened on
the orders of a court last year, was vandalized, police said on Monday.
The
attackers burnt pictures and damaged a 'shivling' inside Gorakhnath Temple and took
away idols from the shrine located within an archaeological complex in Gor Gathri
area, leaders of the Hindu community said. The shrine’s custodian told the media that
this was the third attack on the temple in north-west Pakistan in the past two months.
Police
officers visited the temple to probe the incident. Hindu leaders urged police to put
in place better security measures to prevent such incidents. The temple's custodian
told police that he had seen a group of eight men inside the temple when he arrived
there at 6.30 pm on Sunday.
The men started burning pictures and holy books
before fleeing with some idols, he said. Members of the minority Hindu community rushed
to the temple. Footage on television showed burnt papers and utensils lying strewn
on the floor of the temple. The 160-year-old temple was reopened for Hindus last year
on the orders of the Peshawar High Court. It had been closed since Partition. The
temple was reopened after Phool Wati, the daughter of the shrine's cleric, petitioned
the high court.