Mob vandalises National Emblem at Hazratbal Shrine

A mob vandalised the National Emblem engraved on a plaque during a protest at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar on Friday (September 5, 2025).

The incident took place on a day when Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accused the Lieutenant Governor of denying a holiday as per the Islamic calendar on the birthday of Prophet Muhammad and “hurting sentiments of people”.

Darakshan Andrabi, chairperson of J&K Waqf Board, sought police action against the protesters and accused the National Conference (NC) of inciting the people.

“In Islam, idol worship is strictly forbidden. Placing a sculpted figure at the revered Hazratbal Dargah goes against this very belief,” NC leader and MLA Tanvir Sadiq said.

Ms. Andrabi, a BJP leader, recently inaugurated the renovated sanctum sanctorum of the shrine. The all-marble shrine was built by NC founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in the 1970s and was considered a bastion of the party. After J&K became a Union Territory in 2019, the pro-NC pulpit was taken over by Ms. Andrabi and officers of the Waqf Board.

“We do not have militants coming in from across the border. They are terrorists. They could not digest the achievement the Waqf made. When I saw the emblem broken, it felt like a cloudburst had struck me,” she said.

She urged the police to lodge an FIR and book those behind the violence. “They should be booked under the Public Safety Act. An action must also be taken against the MLA who tweeted to provoke the matter,” Ms. Andrabi said, referring to the Mr. Sadiq’s statement.

The Waqf chairperson warned of barring those involved in the act from praying at the shrine. “No politics will be allowed under my watch. Those conspiring to sabotage this sacred work will be exposed. If an FIR is not lodged, I will sit on a hunger strike,” she said.

Official sources said the J&K Police was “looking into the incident”. 

Ms. Andrabi’s statement on jailing protesting worshippers sparked fresh protests inside the shrine in the evening. “It’s unfortunate that Ms. Andrabi was threatening people with FIRs. She should apologise for the mistake. We condemn the violence. But religious sentiments have been hurt,” Mr. Sadiq said.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Abdullah took on Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha for declining the government’s proposal to declare a gazetted holiday on September 6 as per the moon sighting, rather than on September 5.

“The calendar printed by the government press is very clear, ‘subject to the appearance of the moon’. It means that the holiday is subject to change depending upon the moon being sighted. The deliberate decision by the unelected government to not shift the holiday is inconsiderate and designed to hurt the sentiments of the people,” he said.

Senior J&K Minister Sakina Itoo criticised the administration’s move. “This is totally unjust that Eid-e-Milad, a sacred occasion for Muslims worldwide, is not observed as a holiday on the correct date in J&K... This is playing with the emotions of the people,” Ms. Itoo said.