Global News - Redeem the Oppressed

22 convicted over Hindu Temple Mob Attack

Anti- Terrorism court awarded a five years imprisonment and huge fine to 22 men convicted in the case of Hindu Temple Mob Attack. In keeping with the court’s ruling, a fine of 400,000 Rupees was to be deposited by each of the convict. This payment is to be deposited in the account of Siddhi Vinayak temple in Bhong city of Punjab province.

The incident, perpetrated on August 4, 2021 when a local cleric accused that a nine-year old Hindu boy had had urinated on a carpe inside the library of a Madrassa. The accusations incited an attack on Siddhi Vinayak Temple. Police had arrested 84 suspects in this case, but later 62 were acquitted. The House Officer was suspended over his professional incompetence in preventing the attack on the temple.

The unfortunate incident unfolded in Bhong in District Rahim Yar Khan. The agitated mob attacked the temple after the court granted bail to a nine-year-old Hindu boy; accused of desecrating a Muslim Madrassa. Highly charged mob vandalized the temple, damaged the statues and burnt the main door of the temple.

By Farrukh Saif

Farrukh Saif is a Pakistani human rights activist based in Germany. He founded his own organization, the Farrukh Saif Foundation (FSF), in 2009 with the goal of supporting marginalized and oppressed minorities in Pakistan who are affected by religious discrimination, blasphemy laws, forced conversions, abductions, rape, and bonded slavery. The main focus of the FSF is on the liberation of bonded laborers, particularly those working in brick kilns in rural areas of Pakistan. In 2018, the FSF merged with the US-based Emergency Committee to Save the Persecuted and Enslaved. Throughout his career, Farrukh has been a leading voice for the rights of minorities in Pakistan and has gained international attention for his campaigns against the misuse of blasphemy laws and the belief that asylum is not a crime. In 2014, he played a key role in the release of hundreds of asylum seekers from Thai jails and has worked with his legal team to save numerous victims of strict blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Farrukh has also been invited by the Hungarian government to discuss his work and the issues he addresses. In addition to his work with the FSF, Farrukh has also been involved in various other humanitarian efforts, including providing health care services to internally displaced persons in Khayber Pakhtoon Khawa in 2009 and assisting flood victims in Sindh and Punjab in 2010. He has worked to aid victimized minorities in Pakistan and has a strong track record of successfully advocating for their rights. Farrukh joined forces with Keith Davies in 2018 to co-found the Emergency Committee to Save The Persecuted and Enslaved, and since 2009, they have collectively successfully rescued more than 36000 individuals from slavery and persecution.