Hazratbal Emblem Vandalism
Says ‘currency too bears same emblem’, urges police, LG, HM to act against vandals
Srinagar: The inclusion of the national emblem on a renovation plaque at the revered Hazratbal mosque in Srinagar has ignited a major controversy, triggering an outrage from local leaders and worshippers and leading to the plaque being vandalised by unidentified people.
In response, the chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, Darakshan Andrabi, has called for legal action, including the use of the Public Safety Act (PSA), against those who removed the emblem.
The incident occurred after the mosque that contains a relic of Prophet Muhammad finished its recent renovation. An inauguration plaque mounted within the shrine contained the national emblem, a move that drew criticism from the Muslim community.
Devotees and political leaders, including those from the ruling National Conference (NC), argued that displaying a sculpted figure in a place of worship violates the Islamic principle of monotheism, which strictly forbids idol worship.
On Friday, right after the congregational prayers, unidentified people broke the stone plaque and removed the national emblem.
Andrabi, visibly angered by the act, held a press conference at the mosque, and labelled those who vandalised the plaque as “militants” and “hooligans”.
She called for FIRs to be registered and the accused to be booked under the PSA, a stringent law that allows for detention without trial for up to two years.
“This is not a scar on the stone, this is a scar on my heart. This is a scar on the Constitution,” Andrabi said, questioning why the national emblem would be a source of controversy when it is used by elected leaders across the country.
She also specifically called for an FIR against NC’s chief spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq, suggesting that those who committed the act were his “hooligans”.
The NC responded with a statement on X, emphasising the need for mutual respect and humility, rather than confrontation.
The party acknowledged that concerns were raised about the plaque’s design, stating that any activity within a sacred space like Hazratbal must respect the “sensitivities of the devotees and the principles of faith”.
“The Waqf is not the personal estate of any individual. It is a trust run on the contributions and donations of ordinary Muslims, and it must be managed in line with their faith and traditions.
“Yet we now witness an unelected individual, with no mandate from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, crowning herself inside holy shrines — the very places where Dastaar Bandi, a long held religious cultural practice was banned. This act not only disrespects the sanctity of our shrines but also mocks the very principles of accountability and humility that Islam upholds,” it said.
The NC added that even more disturbing is that “instead of offering an apology to the people for hurting their religious sentiments — which under Indian law itself constitutes an offence — threats are being issued of arrests under the PSA”.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti weighed in on the issue, stating that it “seems that Muslims are deliberately being provoked.” She criticised Andrabi’s demand for the PSA, calling it a reflection of a “punitive and communal mindset”.
“Labelling Kashmiris as ‘terrorists’ just because they expressed their anger on something which hurt their religious sentiments and asking police to slap them with PSA reflects BJP’s punitive and communal mindset.
“The Waqf board should certainly have been more mindful and sensitive. It seems that Muslims are deliberately being provoked,” she said in a post on X.
NC’s Srinagar MP and Shia leader Ruhullah Mehdi also condemned the incident and Andrabi’s reaction. He described the plaque as an attempt to “monumentalise egos” and stated that “any talk of using PSA in the case only adds insult to injury”.
“A sacred place that has stood for centuries needs no one’s nameplate for legitimacy. People were rightly offended by this dangerous attempt to play with religious sensitivities for self-glorification,” Mehdi said in a post on his official X handle.
He said the Hazratbal shrine has seen reconstructions before, but never were such means used to claim credit.
Referring to the Waqf Board chairperson’s call for lodging FIRs against those who vandalised the plaque, he said “any talk of using PSA in the case only adds insult to injury”.
“It is foolish, unacceptable, and an assault on people’s attachment with their beloved shrine,” Mehdi said.
Devotees who visited the shrine that houses the relic of the Prophet Muhammad slammed the Waqf Board for inscribing the Ashoka emblem on the inauguration stone inside the sacred place and maintained that the presence of any figure or shape at Muslim religious places is against the Islamic concept of monotheism.
They termed it a “shameful” act on the part of the Waqf Board to be “insensitive” to the religious sentiments of the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sadiq, the NC MLA from Zadibal, said placing a sculpted figure at the shrine goes against Islam, which forbids idol worship.
“I’m not a religious scholar but in Islam, idol worship is strictly forbidden — the gravest of sins. The foundation of our faith is Tawheed. Placing a sculpted figure at the revered Hazratbal Dargah goes against this very belief. Sacred spaces must reflect only the purity of Tawheed, nothing else,” Sadiq said in a post on X.
