Srinagar: A major controversy has erupted at the Hazratbal shrine after the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board placed the national emblem, Ashoka Stambh, on a renovation plaque. The move triggered protests, leading to the plaque being broken and the emblem removed by unidentified people. The incident has deepened political fault lines, with the National Conference (NC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking sharply opposing positions.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticized the installation, stating that government emblems are meant for state institutions, not religious places. He questioned the compulsion behind placing the emblem at Hazratbal and said that sacred spaces must remain free of such symbols. Abdullah added that even Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah, who oversaw major work at Hazratbal, never placed plaques with his name at the shrine. He called the move a mistake and urged Waqf Board Chairperson Dr. Darakhshan Andrabi to apologize for hurting public sentiments.
In contrast, Andrabi strongly defended the decision. She described the defacement of the emblem as an attack on the Constitution and labeled those involved as militants. She called for FIRs against the perpetrators and argued that if the emblem is acceptable on currency and in government use, it should not be opposed at Hazratbal. The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit has backed her position and demanded strict action against those who damaged the plaque.
The clash highlights deeper tensions over the role of politics in religious spaces, with faith and state authority once again colliding in Kashmir.
