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New Delhi: After a video of miscreants vandalising the Ashoka emblem at Srinagar's Hazratbal Dargah went viral, BJP leader and Jammu & Kashmir Waqf Board chairperson Dr Darakhshan Andrabi on Friday termed the incident an unfortunate and politically motivated act.
"This incident is very unfortunate. Tarnishing the national emblem is a terrorist attack, and the attackers are the goons of a political party. These people destroyed Kashmir earlier as well, and now they have openly entered the Dargah Sharif. Our administrator had a narrow escape as the mob attacked him too," she told reporters.
She demanded strict action against those responsible. "This mob has committed a huge crime by defiling the national emblem. They have damaged the dignity of the dargah. Once identified, they will be banned for life from entering the shrine, and an FIR will be registered against them," she said.
Earlier, chaos erupted at the Hazratbal Dargah after a crowd vandalised the Ashoka emblem engraved on marble inside the shrine, saying carving such figures is against Islamic traditions. The marble plaque had been installed recently as part of renovation work. Locals had earlier expressed opposition to the emblem as well.
Talking about the emblem row, National Conference chief spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq expressed solidarity with the protesters on social media platform X. "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," he posted.
The Hazratbal Dargah was renovated recently and inaugurated three days ago by Dr Andrabi. On the occasion of Eid-e-Milad, when people gathered to offer prayers, they noticed the Ashoka emblem on the plaque and protested. The mob later smashed it with bricks.
Meanwhile, PDP leader Iltija Mufti objected to the use of the term "terrorists" for the protesters. In a post on X, she wrote: "Labelling Kashmiris as 'terrorists' just because they expressed anger over something that hurt their religious sentiments, and asking police to slap them with PSA, reflects BJP’s punitive and communal mindset."
She added that "the Waqf Board should certainly have been more mindful and sensitive", while accusing it of deliberately provoking Muslims.
