Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson Darakshan Andrabi on Friday demanded FIRs against those opposing the placement of the national emblem on the inauguration plaque of the renovated Hazratbal mosque.
The emblem, affixed inside the mosque complex, drew sharp criticism from various quarters. Chief spokesperson of the ruling National Conference (NC) and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq condemned it, stating that placing a sculpted figure at the revered shrine goes against Islam, which strictly forbids idol worship. “I’m not a religious scholar, but in Islam, idol worship is strictly forbidden — the gravest of sins. Sacred spaces must reflect only the purity of Tawheed,” Sadiq wrote on X.
On Friday, protesters smashed the inauguration plaque and removed the emblem. Andrabi described the act as “unfortunate” and accused some individuals of playing politics. “This is not a scar on stone, it is a scar on my heart… on the Constitution,” she said at a press conference at Hazratbal. She questioned why critics object to the emblem while using currency notes bearing it or while following other constitutional protocols.
Andrabi criticized Sadiq directly, saying, “It is unfortunate what the leader did. He is not worthy of being called a leader.” She defended her party, the BJP, asserting that it does not politicize Waqf matters and accused opposition supporters of instigating the incident. “I had warned police because I knew they would create a ruckus,” she said.
Describing those who vandalized the plaque as “militants,” Andrabi urged the police and security forces to act. “Militants are not only in the forests or across the border. These hooligans broke the emblem with stones. They must be booked under the PSA. They are trying to vitiate the atmosphere,” she said, calling for immediate FIRs against the perpetrators and threatening a hunger strike if action was not taken.
She also demanded an FIR against Sadiq, claiming the vandals were his supporters, and suggested police conduct a search of the MLA when visiting the shrine to ensure no currency notes bearing the emblem are carried inside.
Andrabi further questioned NC leaders, asking whether they would have reacted similarly if the plaque had included the name of former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. She accused them of failing to recognize work that is “appreciated across the country” and condemned their alleged tolerance of hooliganism. “They do not know religion. They nurtured militants in their homes, and today those militants came here. This has broken my heart into pieces,” she said.
