Jammu Kashmir Police on Saturday detained 26 people after the national emblem installed on a renovation plaque at the Hazratbal Dargah in Srinagar was vandalised on Friday last. Officials said CCTV footage from the site showed several individuals involved in defacing the emblem. Based on the evidence, police identified and took them into custody for questioning.
The installation of the emblem on the Dargah’s plaque had triggered strong resentment among local leaders and worshippers, which ultimately led to the act of vandalism."No one has been formally arrested so far but some people are being questioned," a senior police official said.
The incident has sparked a wider debate on the appropriateness of placing the national symbol at a religious site and some people are also disproving the act of smashing the national emblem with stones. The BJP has labelled the act as pre-planned terrorism and criticised the NC and PDP, demanding an apology from Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah.
In response, leaders including Mehbooba Mufti and J&K CM Omar Abdullah defended the vandals' sentiment, questioning the necessity of placing the emblem at a religious shrine. The J&K CM was quoted stating, “Pathar lagane ki jarurat hi nahin thi. Agar kaam sahi hota toh log khud ba khud uss kaam ko pahchan lete,” which translates to, "There was no need to install the stone. If the work was good, people would have recognised it on their own." The Kashmir Grand Mufti also echoed a similar stance.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said the Waqf Board should apologise for the "mistake," asserting that the national emblem is meant for government functions, not religious institutions.While parties like the NC, PDP and the CPI(M) said the use of Ashoka emblem in the mosque was "provocative" and blasphemous, the BJP slammed the defacement of the plaque, claiming the incident was an attempt to revive terrorism and separatism in the Valley.
The plaque was placed inside the Hazratbal shrine, which houses a relic of Prophet Muhammad, on Thursday, sparking outrage among devotees who maintained that placing any figure or symbol inside a mosque is against the Islamic principle of monotheism.The plaque was subsequently vandalised and removed by unidentified individuals after Friday prayers, prompting police to register a case against unknown people.
"I have never seen an emblem being used in this way in any religious place.Mosques, shrines, temples and gurudwaras are not government institutions. These are religious institutions and government emblems are not used in religious institutions," Abdullah said.The controversy escalated when Andrabi, a BJP appointee, called for legal action, including booking the "hooligans" under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), for vandalising the emblem.
Abdullah condemned Andrabi's response, saying the board "played with the sentiments of the people" and is now using threats.
"First, at least, they should have apologised for it. They should admit the mistake. It should not have happened," the CM said.
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