Ashoka Emblem At J&K's Hazratbal Shrine Damaged, BJP Says "Terrorist Act"

Armed with stones and shouting slogans, angry worshippers at Jammu and Kashmir's Hazratbal shrine defiled the national emblem on a plaque placed outside the main prayer room.

On the occasion of the 'Eid-e-Milad' (Birthday of the Prophet) on Friday, the year's largest congregation of devout Muslims from all over the Valley gathered at the Hazratbal shrine to spend the night in prayer and penance. For centuries, Dargah Hazratbal has remained most revered place for people of Jammu and Kashmir as it houses the relic of Prophet Mohammad.

A crowd started shouting slogans against Waqf Board as they gathered near the plaque right after the congregational prayers on Friday.

Earlier this week, the Waqf board had formally inaugurated the grandly decorated and renovated interior of the Hazratbal shrine after spending crores of rupees. BJP leader and chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board Darakhshan Andrabi had said during the inaugural function that the board had managed all funds spent on the renovation/decoration without borrowing anything from any quarter. This is the first time a plaque was fixed on the wall of the shrine to mark the inauguration.

Situated on the banks of the Dal Lake, the centuries-old shrine has undergone several renovations and reconstructions. The present construction of shrine in white marble, a blend of Mughal and Kashmiri architectures was carried out in 1970s by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah with public donation. However, no plaque was fixed by him to showcase the reconstruction.

The attack on the plaque started a political war of words, with Ms Andrabi demanding stringent action against those who tried to "obliterate" the national emblem. "It was not just an act to smash a stone, but a blow to the hearts of devotees and to the followers of the Constitution," she said.

She termed it a terrorist attack and said that one of her party's administrators narrowly escaped being injured. She also urged the police to identify the attackers and book them under Public Safety Act (PSA), a stringent law under which a person can jailed for years without a trial. "They have damaged the dignity of the dargah, and once they are identified, they will be banned from entering the dargah for life, and an FIR will be filed against them," she added.

Blaming the ruling National Conference's (NC) activists for indulging in the act, Ms Andrabi said the party is back to its "old games of stone pelting". "They had promised in their manifesto that they would get back the Waqf Board by removing me. They could not do that, and now they are taking law and order into their hands," she claimed.

"Don't they carry currency notes in their pockets bearing the national emblem? Haven't they sworn allegiance to the national emblem before coming to power in J&K?" she further asked.

NC chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq said Ms Andrabi should feel ashamed for not respecting religious sentiments. "As per our 'Tawheed' (Islamic concept of monotheism), we cannot place a sculpture inside any religious place. She should know this. It is not right to hurt religious sentiments. No sculpture should be present inside a dargah. This is not a government building, this is a religious place," he said.

Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said fixing nameplates inside the shrine is not devotion but arrogance and criticised Ms Andrabi for threatening people with PSA. "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. Hazratbal has seen reconstructions before, but never were such means used to claim credit. Any talk of using PSA in this case only adds insult to injury. It is foolish, unacceptable and an assault on people's attachment to their beloved shrine," he said.

Criticising BJP leader for threatening people with police action, People's Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti has termed the plaque inside the shrine as a "deliberate attempt to provoke Muslims". "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 the BJP's punitive and communal mindset. The Waqf board should certainly have been more mindful and sensitive. It seems that Muslims are being deliberately provoked," she said.