Ashoka Emblem at J&K’s Hazratbal shrine vandalised

A group of individuals vandalized a repair plaque featuring the national insignia at the Hazratbal mosque in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, sparking a significant controversy. While Governor Manoj Sinha expressed his “deep anguish” over the destruction, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah defended the conduct, questioning the need to place the Ashoka Emblem at a holy site.

The Emblem was desecrated after local politicians and worshippers became incensed about its inclusion on the renovation plaque for the Srinagar mosque, which houses a relic of Prophet Muhammad.

Chief Minister Abdullah criticized the use of the Public Safety Act (PSA) against the vandalists and questioned why the insignia was included on the shrine’s plaque. “What was the need for an emblem and the stone in the first place? Wasn’t the work already sufficient?” he asked. Referring to the PSA, he added, “First, you hurt the religious sentiments of people, and then you do this. What’s the point?”

However, expressing his anguish, Governor Sinha said the Ashoka Emblem represents the nation’s sovereignty and pride and said hurting national sentiments will not be tolerated.

“Deeply anguished by the vandalism of the Ashoka Emblem on the renovation plaque at Hazratbal Shrine. Ashoka Emblem is the symbol of our sovereignty & national pride. Such acts hurt our national sentiments & will not be tolerated. Strong action will be taken against miscreants,” he tweeted.

In relation to the event, the Srinagar police have filed a formal complaint against unidentified persons. Darakshan Andrabi, the chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, had previously called for the removal of the insignia to be subject to severe judicial action, including the use of the PSA. According to her, the people who broke the plaque were trying to disturb the tranquility and should be prosecuted as criminals.

“This is not just damage to stone. This is damage to the Constitution,” she said at a press conference in Hazratbal. She also questioned whether leaders who oppose the emblem reject its presence on currency notes.

Members of the ruling National Conference (NC) as well as devotees and political officials contended that it is against Islamic law, which forbids idolatry, to show a sculpted figure in a place of worship.

Tanvir Sadiq, a Zadibal MLA and spokesperson for the National Conference, took issue with the insignia, claiming that it is against Islamic principles to place a carved symbol in a place of worship. He claimed that the emblem’s existence went against the tenets of Tawheed and that idol worship is definitely forbidden in Islam.

“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 (Islamic concept of monotheism). 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 tweeted.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti weighed in on the controversy, suggesting that it “appears Muslims are being deliberately provoked.” She criticised Darakshan Andrabi’s call for invoking the PSA, describing it as indicative of a “punitive and communal mindset.”

Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, the MP for Srinagar, defended the people who took down the plaque, claiming that it was a reaction to what he perceived as an attempt to use a place of worship for political show. “Efforts to monumentalise personal egos within Hazratbal are not acts of devotion but of arrogance. A sacred site that has stood for centuries requires no nameplate to assert its legitimacy. People were rightfully offended by this dangerous attempt to manipulate religious sensitivities for self-glorification,” Mehdi wrote in a post on X.