Srinagar, Sep 6: Police on Saturday registered an FIR in connection with the defacing of the Ashoka Emblem on an inauguration plaque recently installed inside the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar.
Officials said an FIR vide number 76/2025 has been lodged at Police Station Nigeen after scores of worshippers objected to the inscription of the emblem, calling it un-Islamic, and partially defaced it with a stone. The emblem was erased from the left side of the plaque while other portions remained intact.
The plaque had been installed on September 3 following the reconstruction and redevelopment of the shrine, which was formally inaugurated by Waqf Board Chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi. Her subsequent demand that those involved be booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) triggered strong reactions from across the political spectrum.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti both condemned Andrabi’s remarks, with Mehbooba going further to demand that instead of acting against the worshippers, the government should book the Waqf Board chairperson and four of its members for “hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims.”
So far, no arrests have been made in the case while police said investigations are ongoing.
The incident has further deepened the row over the presence of the State Emblem at one of Kashmir’s holiest shrines, which many religious groups and political leaders argue was a breach of sanctity. [KNT]
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