The Rama Peer Temple, which some say was 80 years old, was one of many Hindu temples in Karachi that have in recent years been the subject of property disputes involving commercial builders.
The compound where it was located, and the land around it, is owned by the military.
In 2008, the military estates officer (MEO) of the area issued eviction notices to the temple and more than a dozen Hindu families residing in houses built around it, to clear the way for its purchase by a major construction firm based in Karachi.
“The residents refused, saying they had been living here for more than 50 years and had a right to be offered ownership rights for a price instead of being thrown out,” says Dr Ramesh Vankwani, the head of the community organisation, the Pakistan Hindu Council.
A plea filed by one of the residents was dismissed by a court in November, paving the way for the construction firm to forcibly evict the residents last Saturday.
The community staged angry protests, saying the demolition squad had desecrated their articles of faith and deprived several poor people of a roof over their head. – BBC, 5 Dec 2012
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BHARATA BHARATI 