Congress MP from Katihar, Tariq Anwar, on Monday remarked, "Hua toh hua (what's done is done)... no action needed against extremists." His comment came after a viral video showed mob defacing the national emblem Ashoka Chakra marked on foundation stone of Hazratbal shrine in Jammu & Kashmir's Srinagar.
#BREAKING | Hazratbal Shrine Vandalism Row: "What's done is done... no action needed against extremists," says Congress MP Tariq Anwar (@itariqanwar) to NDTV pic.twitter.com/YMKIr6jQ3g
September 8, 2025What Is The Controversy At Hazratbal?
A huge controversy erupted in Kashmir after the plaque with the Ashoka emblem was vandalised at the Hazratbal shrine on Sept. 5. Political parties accused Waqf Board chief Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by using the national emblem at the religious place. They demanded registration of a criminal case and her immediate removal.
The plaque was placed inside the Hazratbal shrine, which houses a relic of Prophet Muhammad, 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.
Srinagar, J&K | A stone plaque on the reconstruction and redevelopment of the Assari Sharief Hazratbal Shrine by the Jammu & Kashmir Waqf Board, vandalised pic.twitter.com/zJFa4qNA0A
September 5, 2025According to officials, more than 50 persons have been detained for questioning in connection with the vandalisation of a plaque with the Ashoka emblem in the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar as police intensified searches for those involved in the incident.
The police checked the videos and CCTV footage of the incident that occurred after the Friday congregational prayers, following which these people were detained.
Hazratbal Shrine Row: Who Said What
While parties like the National Conference, PDP and the CPI(M) said the use of the 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.
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.
NC president Farooq Abdullah said the controversy at the Hazratbal shrine could have been avoided had the current Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board not installed the plaque with the Ashoka emblem at the shrine. "There was no need to install the plaque. They put it up and people did not like it."
Political parties have called for the removal of J&K Waqf Board Chairperson Darakshan Andrabi and the registration of an FIR against her for hurting the religious sentiments of people. Meanwhile, Andrabi, a BJP appointee, called for legal action, including booking the "hooligans" under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), for vandalising the emblem.
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