The family of the eight-year-old has now been forced to flee the city of Bhong in Pakistan.
The boy is the youngest to have been charged with blasphemy in the country.
Blasphemy can carry the death penalty in Pakistan, but no one has been executed for this since 1986.
Nevertheless, several blasphemy defendants and convicts have been attacked, and in some cases killed, by angry crowds.
The incident has created great tensions between Hindus and Muslims in Pakistan, where as many as 96 percent of the population are Muslims and two percent are Hindus.
This weekend, a large crowd demolished a local Hindu temple in protest of the boy’s release.
The boy has now received police protection, while several Hindu residents in the immediate area have fled their homes.
– DEMONSTRATION: Pastor Ghazala Shafique holds an appeal while Hindus and Christians protest against the attack on the Ganesh temple. Photo: Akhtar Soomro
–
Scolded by teacher
The Pakistani newspaper The Tribune writes that at the end of July, the boy entered the library of a Muslim school in the city.
Many religious books are kept in the library, and the area is therefore considered sacred.
The boy was scolded by one of the school’s religious teachers for entering the sacred area.
The boy must have been scared, and peed on the carpet in terror. Then he ran away.
Convinced that the boy was peeing on the carpet on purpose, the teacher reported him to the police.
The eight-year-old was arrested and imprisoned for a week, only to be released on bail.
The release has caused uproar among Muslims in Bhong, where Hindus are in a strong minority, as they also believe that the boy peed on the carpet on purpose.
– FURTHER: People gather outside the temple in Bhong on August 4. Photo: Reuters
–
Understand nothing
An anonymous member of the boy’s family says The Guardian that the boy does not understand what he is accused of.
He also does not understand why he had to go to prison.
– He does not even understand what blasphemy is about, and he has been drawn into this case on a false basis. He still does not understand what the crime is, and why he had to spend a week in prison, the family member says.
After his release, about 150 people blocked the Sukkur-Multan highway in Bhong and attacked the Hindu Ganesh temple in the city.
Several religious statues were destroyed, and the facade was also set on fire.
Condemns the attack
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken to Twitter to condemn the attack on the temple, writing that all those responsible should be taken.
He also promises that the demolished temple will be restored.
Strongly condemn attack on Ganesh Mandir in Bhung, RYK yesterday. I have already asked IG Punjab to ensure arrest of all culprits & take action against any police negligence. The govt will also restore the Mandir.
– Imran Khan (mImranKhanPTI) August 5, 2021
–
Sent in paramilitary troops
According to AP Paramilitary troops have been sent to Bhong to restore order, and around 50 people who are said to have been involved in the attack on the temple have been arrested.
– The police have arrested 50 people who attacked the temple, and are hunting for a hundred others who are at large. Our teams are conducting raids to arrest them soon, Rahim Yar Khan police spokesman Ahmad Nawaz told The National.
Human rights activists and politicians have also condemned the charges against the eight-year-old, as well as the attack on the temple.
Human rights activist Kapil Dev tells The Guardian that the authorities must take action and protect the boy, his family and the Hindu community.
– I demand that the accusations against the boy be dropped immediately, and that the government takes responsibility for the family’s safety, and the safety of those who have been forced to move, he says.
–
