Pakistan: Hindu community holds protest in Hyderabad over assault on RamaPir Temple, demands justice

The Hindu community in the New Aliabad Colony in Pakistan’s Hyderabad staged a protest in front of the Hyderabad Press Club and later in front of the SSP office, showcasing outrage over the alleged assault on RamaPir Hindu Temple, The Express Tribune reported.

The demonstration, which included women and children, was in response to the lack of arrests in connection with the reported assault on the RamaPir Temple in the colony, which left four people injured.

According to the report, a case has been filed against 11 people under other provisions, including charges of attempted murder related to the attack on the temple on Halanaka Road, along with incidents of firing and violence.

An FIR was also filed at Hatri Police Station on the complaint of Shiv Lal Meghwar, against Mahesh, Waqar, Sohail Jatoi, Rafi Banglani and Jameel Ihsan Baledi, among others.

The protesters alleged that a religious ceremony was taking place at the RamaPir Temple when a fight broke out between some young people from the Hindu community.

Later on, a group of men from outside the colony also got involved in the conflict. Over 10 assailants burst into the temple, where they began to fire indiscriminately at everyone present, men, women, and children who were there for the religious ceremony, the Express Tribune reported.

This brawl left four people: Rohit Kumar, Sawai Kumar, Ramesh Kumar and Teso LaI injured.

Notably, the minority community in Pakistan has been facing persecution for years now. A majority of them have migrated to other countries for safety. The remaining are continuing to face oppression.

Earlier in August, hundreds of individuals from minority and marginalised communities in Pakistan held the first ‘Minority Rights March’ at the Frere Hall area of Karachi, advocating for their rights and demanding an end to the practice of forced conversions.

According to a Gatestone report, the religious minorities in Pakistan, mainly Hindu and Christian women and children, continue to be oppressed and persecuted, at the same time facing the risk of being kidnapped, forcibly converted, raped, and coerced into a “marriage” with an older or elderly man.