New Delhi

A Hindu temple in Pakistan's Punjab province was reportedly vandalised by hundreds of people after a nine-year-old Hindu boy, who allegedly urinated at a local seminary, received bail, a media report said on Thursday.

According to the Dawn news report, the incident took place on Wednesday in Bhong town, about 60 km from Rahim Yar Khan city.

Besides the vandalisation, the mob also blocked the Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5), the report added.

In Delhi, Islamic scholar Maulana Mufti Manzoor Zia called the incident of desecration of a temple ‘shameful.’ Speaking to Awaz-the Voice, he said such incidents in Pakistan end up defaming Islam.

He said Imran Khan's government is not able to take safeguard the interests of the religious minorities.

Maulana Zia asked the Pakistani government to take action against the perpetrators of vandalism and also repair the temple.

Citing sources, Dawn news said that a case was registered against the minor on July 24 based on a complaint filed by a cleric, Hafiz Muhammad Ibrahim, of the Darul Uloom Arabia Taleemul Quran.

The sources said that "some Hindu elders did tender an apology to the seminary administration saying the accused was a minor and mentally challenged".

But, when a lower court granted him bail a few days ago, some people incited the public in the town on Wednesday and got all shops there closed in protest, the report quoted the sources as further saying.

A video clip showing people wielding clubs and rods storming the temple and smashing its glass doors, windows, lights and damaging the ceiling fans went viral on the social media.

Shair Gul Gopang had live cast this vandalism on Facebook:

The video clip of the vandalism has gone viral on social media with many people from Pakistan too condemning it.

The place where the temple is located is Bhong Sharif of Rahim Yar Khan.

One of the clips shows men walking through the narrow lanes to the open and paved compound of the temple where a large mob comprising mostly salver-kameez wearing young men have already assembled.

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The other clip shows men kicking the idols with sticks and running amock inside the temple. It seems to be pre-planned vandalism with organizers going live on Facebook and several men seen shooting with handheld cameras.  

In response, one Twitter user said: "Ganesh Temple, village Bhong in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab has been ravaged. Another day, another attack on Hindus in Pakistan."

Another said: "Yesterday, mob ran amok at Temple over minor boy issue who allegedly urinated, boy said to be mentally handicapped. Hindu community made apology for boy — case registered against nine-year-old boy. Those vandalised temple, no FIR registered against them."

District police spokesman Ahmed Nawaz Cheema said Rangers had been deployed in the troubled area and the situation was under control.

A small town close to the River Indus and Sindh-Punjab border, Bhong houses a number of gold traders who originally hail from Ghotki and Dehrki (Sindh), according to the Dawn news report.

A ruling PTI member representing minorities said he had been in touch with the local Hindu community and influential Rais family of Bhong since the issue surfaced.