The installation of a plaque with the Ashoka emblem at the Hazratbal shrine that was vandalised on Friday has snowballed into a controversy in Kashmir, with political parties demanding an apology from Waqf Board chairperson and BJP leader Dr Darakhshan Andrabi and seeking legal action against her for “hurting religious sentiments”.
Those opposing the plaque say that idol worship is strictly forbidden in Islam. On Saturday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for an apology from Andrabi, while former CM Mehbooba Mufti demanded that she be booked under sections of hurting religious sentiments.
The National Conference also called on Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to dismiss Andrabi, saying the controversy has been “deliberately” created in view of the elections in Bihar.
“First of all, the question is whether the stone should have had an emblem or not. I have never seen such an emblem being used in any religious institution or function. Google it and see, the government emblem is not used anywhere. The government emblem is only used in government functions. Mosque, dargah, temple, gurdwara, these are not government institutions, these are religious institutions,” Omar said to reporters in south Kashmir. “So what was the compulsion to use an emblem on this stone at Hazratbal?”
“What is the use of issuing threats?” Omar said when asked about Andrabi calling the protesters terrorists and asking for their arrest under the Public Safety Act. “The sentiments of the people were played with. At least apologise for that. Say yes, we made a mistake, it (emblem) should not have been on the stone.”
#WATCH | Anantnag, J&K | On viral video of a mob tarnishing the national emblem on the foundation stone of Hazratbal Shrine, CM Omar Abdullah says, “The first question is whether the emblem should have been etched on the foundation stone. I have never seen the emblem being used… pic.twitter.com/oAyyby5HGN
— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025
Mufti called it blasphemy, but also called for restraint. “I know this is not the time for patience. Naturally, there is anger. But there is a need to remain sensible, not to give them a chance to launch another crackdown,” she said.
She urged Abdullah to disband the Waqf Board. “Heads should roll,” she said. “I urge Omar sahib to disband it and remove everyone.”
Over a dozen legislators of the National Conference addressed a press conference demanding Andrabi’s immediate dismissal by the L-G.
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The Muttahida Majlis Ulema (MMU), an umbrella body of over two dozen religious organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, called it a “dangerous and unnecessary precedent”.
“Hazratbal is not merely a structure; it is the spiritual heart of the Muslims of Jammu & Kashmir, bound to our faith and identity through centuries of devotion. Any alteration that undermines its sanctity deeply pains the devotional sentiments attached to it,” MMU said. “Islam is explicit in its teachings: no plaques, emblems, figures, or symbols are permitted in mosques or shrines.”
The BJP put its weight behind Andrabi, saying that the defacement of the emblem was a “terrorist act”.
“If they (people) had issues with it, they should have gone to the VC sahiba and not acted like Osama bin Laden,” BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur said in a press conference in Srinagar. “This is a national symbol. It is on your passport, on your Aadhaar card, on the currency notes. Why are your prayers not disapproved when you go in with currency?”
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Thakur asked the police to act against the people involved in defacing the emblem.
