The first attack occurred on Friday, July 14, in the Soldier Bazar police station area of Karachi. According to reports, the Hindu community in the vicinity woke up on Saturday to discover that the historic 150-year-old Mari Mata Temple had been completely demolished. The demolition took place during the dark hours of Friday night when there was no electricity, and the diggers and bulldozers arrived to carry out the destruction. While the outer walls and main gate of the temple were left intact, the internal structure was completely razed. Locals claimed that a police mobile unit provided cover for the individuals operating the equipment used in the demolition.
The priest of another nearby Hindu temple, Ram Nath Mishra, informed the Pakistani news daily, Dawn, that the Mari Mata Temple was ancient and had rumors of buried treasures in its courtyard. He revealed that the temple had been targeted by land grabbers for some time. The vandalized temple was managed by the Madrasi Hindu community of Karachi. Despite attempts to preserve it by moving deities to a smaller room, the temple was eventually flattened.
The Hindu community accused Imran Hashmi of pressuring them to vacate the property and sell it for 70 million rupees using forged documents. The Sindh government disputed the community's claims but ordered the police and local authorities to halt any further construction or demolition at the site.
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