Hindu temple vandalised in Pakistan

Islamabad, May 21 (PTI) A historic Hindu temple in Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan, which had been reopened on the orders of a court last year, has been vandalised by unidentified men in the third such attack on the shrine in the past two months. The attackers burnt pictures inside Gorakhnath Temple and took away some idols from the shrine located within an archaeological complex in Gor Gathri area of the city yesterday, leaders of the Hindu community said. The shrine's custodian told the media that this was the third attack on the temple 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. 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 the partition of India into India and Pakistan in 1947. The temple was reopened after Phool Wati, the daughter of the shrine's priest, petitioned the High Court. PTI