A fire of unknown origin broke out something between late last night and early this morning at the Parika Dharmic Mandir, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), resulting in major damage at the place of worship.
Devotees of the Mandir along with persons in the neighbourhood who rushed out to the scene when they heard what had happened, opine that this was clearly an act of arson and that the fire could not have been of electrical origin.
According to information received, this is the second time such an incident has occurred at the said place of worship.
Investigations are presently on-going into the matter.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha has expressed its outrage at this horrific and heartless act.
“The Mandir sustained major damage from fire last night or this morning from possible arson…a beautiful and welcoming Mandir now lies destroyed and the devotees are heartbroken. Our prayers are with them. We pray that the Mandir could be repaired in the shortest possible time and that any perpetrator of this act should be dealt with by the justice system swiftly,” the Sabha said.
Photos below show the damage done to the Mandir:
---
