Lahore, September 1 (TNA) A 100- to 125-year-old Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Punjab province has been demolished, with residents and minority organisations alleging that the site was cleared to take over its land for a madrasa. Officials, meanwhile, have claimed that the old structure collapsed due to torrential rain.
The temple was in Siraj village, Narowal district, about 130 kilometres from Lahore. According to reports, the adjoining land had earlier been leased for a seminary, but the temple’s own land was not leased out.
Minority groups and local residents alleged that the demolition was carried out by people linked to religious extremists. At the same time, the Pakistan government and the Evacuee Trust Property Board denied the accusations.
The incident has once again raised concern over the safety of minority religious sites in Pakistan and the handling of disputed property around such places of worship.