According to reports,  Mari Mata Temple, which is located in  Soldier Bazaar, was razed when there was no electricity in the area on Friday.

While leaving the outer walls and the temple’s main gate intact, they demolished the entire inside structure, reports Dawn News.

The residents alleged that they saw a police mobile there to provide ‘cover’ to the men operating the machines.

Interestingly, the temple is located close to a police station.

“It is a very old mandir,” Shri Ram Nath Mishra Mahraj of another very old temple nearby, the Shri Punch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir, informed Dawn News.

“It is said to have been built over 150 years ago. We have also heard of stories about old treasures buried in its courtyard,” he said, adding that it covered about 400 to 500 square yards and there had been talk of the land grabbers having their eye on it for some time now.

“The mandir was under the management of the Madrasi Hindu community of Karachi and since it was being said that it was a very old and dangerous structure that might topple any day, the mandir management after much pressure reluctantly but temporarily moved most of their deities to a small room near the storm water drain until they could carry out some renovation work there,” he said.

“But last night the Mari Mata Mandir was just flattened,” he added.

A member of the Madrasi Hindu community, meanwhile, said that they were being forced to vacate by two persons, namely, Imran Hashmi and Rekha AKA Nagin Bai. There was also talk of the temple being sold off by the two named to another party for an amount of 70 million rupees and the buyers were looking to build a commercial building there.

There was also a mention of some fake documents in the name of a person named ‘Navaid’, allowing transfer of lease of the amenity plot to a commercial one.