Video Of Mob Tarnishing Ashoka Emblem At J&K's Hazratbal Shrine Goes Viral; Waqf Board Reacts

Last Updated:September 05, 2025, 18:29 IST

A protest erupted at Hazratbal shrine over the Ashoka Emblem on a new structure, with Dr Darakhshan Andrabi calling the defacement a terrorist attack.

Video Of Mob Tarnishing Ashoka Emblem At J&K's Hazratbal Shrine Goes Viral. (ANI)

A controversy erupted at the revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar after devotees protested against the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board for the inscription of the Ashoka Emblem on the foundation stone of a new structure within the shrine premises.

Many visitors criticised Chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, Minister of State, and senior BJP leader Dr Darakhshan Andrabi and the clerics under her oversight, accusing them of insensitivity toward the religious sentiments of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir.

Devotees described the move as a blatant disregard for Islamic traditions, with several calling for immediate accountability.

The Ashoka emblem on the board was later defaced by the people gathered to protest.

In Islam, the installation of certain emblems or symbols in sacred sites like mosques, shrines, or dargahs is often restricted to preserve the faith’s core principle.

Reacting to a viral video showing a mob defacing the national emblem, BJP leader and J&K Waqf Board Chairperson Dr. Darakhshan Andrabi on Friday termed the act a “terrorist attack", calling for their immediate arrest.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Andrabi alleged that political elements were behind the incident, accusing them of attempting to damage both the dignity of the Dargah and the sanctity of Kashmir.

“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 come inside the Dargah Sharif. Our administrator had a narrow escape. The mob attacked him as well… This mob has committed a huge crime by tarnishing the national emblem. 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 said.

Reacting to the controversy over the Ashoka Emblem at the Hazratbal shrine, MLA Tanvir Sadiq said that while he is not a religious scholar, Islam strictly forbids idol worship, which is considered the gravest sin. He stressed that the foundation of the faith rests on Tawheed (oneness of God), and placing a sculpted figure at the revered Dargah goes against this core belief.

“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 wrote on X.

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