A group of worshippers attacked and broke the inauguration plaque bearing the Ashoka emblem inside Srinagar’s Hazratbal Shrine after Friday prayers, sparking widespread outrage and political confrontation. The act, deemed offensive by locals, has amplified tensions between communal sensitivities and constitutional symbolism.
NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq criticised the placement of the emblem, arguing that Plaque Defacement at Hazratbal Shrine Sparks Political Firestorm—his words underline that introducing a sculpted figure in a sacred Islamic space contradicts the principle of Tawheed and veers towards idolisation, which Islam forbids. He insisted that religious spaces should reflect “only the purity of Tawheed” and that the Waqf Board chairperson, Dr Darakshan Andrabi, ought to feel ashamed for overlooking religious sentiments.
Dr Andrabi, chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board and a BJP leader, responded by condemning the vandalism as not just a physical attack on stone but “a blow to the hearts of devotees and to the followers of the Constitution”. She described the act as akin to terrorism and demanded legal action, including FIRs and charges under the Public Safety Act, against those responsible—and even those who she claimed provoked the incident, including Sadiq himself.
The exchange has provoked further reactions: some observers warn that Plaque Defacement at Hazratbal Shrine Sparks Political Firestorm reflects a deeper clash between religious respect and political assertion. Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi condemned the plaque’s placement as an act of arrogance rather than devotion, and criticised Andrabi’s threat of punitive measures as inflammatory.
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