Srinagar: A fresh controversy has erupted over the installation of the Ashoka emblem at the Hazratbal Dargah shrine; with National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq stating that the move contradicts the fundamental Islamic belief of Tawheed.
National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq said the step contradicts the core Islamic belief of Tawheed. “Islam strictly forbids idol worship, which is the gravest of sins. The foundation of our faith is Tawheed. Sacred spaces must reflect only the purity of Tawheed, nothing else,” he posted on X.
The renovated interior of the shrine was inaugurated on Wednesday. However, on Friday, people broke the inauguration plaque with stones and removed the national emblem placed on it.
J&K Waqf Board Chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi demanded FIRs against those opposing the emblem. She said the emblem was part of the inauguration plaque inside the mosque complex and should not have been objected to.
Several political leaders reacted to the issue. National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah wrote on X that Hazratbal had witnessed renovations in the past but never with such attempts to claim credit. He said any talk of invoking PSA against protesters was “foolish, unacceptable, and an assault on people’s attachment with the shrine.”
Iltija Mufti also reacted on X, Labelling Kashmiris as ‘terrorists’ just because they expressed their anger on something which hurt their religious sentiments & asking police to slap them with PSA reflects BJPs punitive & communal mindset.The Waqf board should certainly have been more mindful & sensitive. It seems that Muslims are being deliberately being provoked.
