A Hindu temple was attacked by unidentified people in the Korangi neighborhood of Karachi on 9^th June 2022. The incident took place at the Korangi Number 5 area of the port city. The Shri Mari Mata Mandir, which also houses the residence of the Hindu priest, was attacked late at night, triggering fear among members of the Hindu community. A set of pictures went viral on social media showing a demolished temple in Karachi went viral on social media amid attack on a Hindu temple on 9^th June 2022.

Debunked Source

A Hindu temple was vandalised in #Karachi’s Korangi area on Wednesday. The idols of deities at Shri Mari Maata Mandir were vandalized. This is yet another attack out of many against the places of worship of the minority community in #Pakistan. (1/6)#HinduHateInPakistan pic.twitter.com/b0W73Q9N8T

— TEAM BHARAT (@TeamBharat_) June 9, 2022

Hindu temple vandalised in Karachi

Fact Check

Using AI-assisted tools we performed a reverse image search and found that the picture dates back to 2^nd December 2012. Authorities demolished a 50-year-old Hindu temple in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi despite a stay order from court sparking protest by the minority community.

The Express Tribune dated 1^st December 2012, reported about Shri Rama Pir Mandir, a century-old-temple in Karachi’s Soldier Bazar. Three or four houses located next to it were demolished by a private builder, rendering around 40 people homeless, while the Sindh High Court was hearing a petition seeking a stay order.

The report added that the police denied the existence of the temple completely and maintained that it had orders to remove encroachments. Military Lands and Cantonment director, Zeenat Ahmed, had said that the builder had possession of the place “since years and these people were encroachers, and encroachers have no religion,” insisting that no temple was demolished.

Source

https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/pakistani-hindus-sit-next-to-a-demolished-hindu-temple-in-news-photo/157342043

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-20582988

https://tribune.com.pk/story/473838/soldier-bazaar-temple-razed-in-hurried-operation

Rating

Misinformation/Propaganda

Conclusion

Our fact-check confirmed that the shared pictures are old and unrelated to the recent incident. They show the 2012 demolition of Shri Rama Pir Mandir at Soldier Bazar area of Karachi. 

ABCDE Framework-Based Analysis

Actor	An Independent account on Twitter is involved in disseminating the misleading content.
Behavior	Old pictures are resurfaced with misleading captions.
Content	Social media posts.
Degree	The circulated pictures are not doctored, these are old pictures which are making rounds on the internet amid religious rift in India.
Effect	Disinformation campaigns are created and run by religious extremists across the country targeting religious minorities which leads to hate speech, death threats and mob lynching incidents.