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Srinagar: The installation of the Ashoka emblem plaque at the revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar has ignited widespread outrage across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), with political leaders from across the spectrum denouncing the move as an affront to religious sentiments and a deliberate attempt to politicize a sacred space.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, analysts argue that placing India\u2019s national emblem inside Hazratbal was no coincidence but a calculated act under the Hindutva-driven agenda. They describe it as a deliberate provocation and an expression of Islamophobia, noting that the shrine houses the Mo-e-Muqqadas\u2014a revered relic believed to be a strand of hair of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). By attempting to impose a national symbol on such a sacred site, critics say, New Delhi sought to dilute its sanctity and assert political dominance.<\/p>\n
Speaking to media persons in south Kashmir\u2019s Islamabad, IIOJK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned the very rationale behind the decision. \u201cWhat was the compulsion that a stone was used at Hazratbal?\u201d he asked. \u201cIf the work was genuine, people would have recognised it without plaques. If a mistake was made, it should be admitted.\u201d Reacting to BJP leader and Waqf Board Chairperson Darakshan Andrabi\u2019s remarks on slapping the draconian PSA against those who damaged the emblem, Omar Abdullah said, \u201cFirst, people\u2019s sentiments were played with. An apology should have been offered, but no one did that. The emblem is meant only for government offices. It cannot be used in any religious institution, whether temple, mosque, or shrine.\u201d<\/p>\n
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti went a step further, saying the move had deeply wounded the religious feelings of Muslims. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, she demanded legal action against those responsible. \u201cInstead of targeting those who defaced the emblem out of religious sentiment, the government should lodge an FIR against the Waqf Board chairperson and members who allowed this act. Hazratbal is a sacred shrine, not a venue for coronation or political symbolism,\u201d she said. She also castigated Darakhshan Andrabi for demanding PSA against the protesters, questioning, \u201cWho permitted installation of the emblem in a shrine where there is no concept of idol worship?\u201d<\/p>\n
CPI (M) leader and Kulgam MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami described the installation as \u201cprovocative\u201d and unnecessary. \u201cThe Ashoka emblem is unimportant to Kashmiri Muslims,\u201d he said, urging the authorities not to repeat such actions and to apologise. \u201cAny step that hurts the emotions of the people, I will interpret it as provocative. Those in power should apologise to the common people.\u201d He also criticised the heavy-handed response of filing FIRs and using coercive measures against protesters. \u201cWhat is FIR? Pressure, imprisonment, jail\u2014this story is very old now. Problems have never been solved with sticks,\u201d Tarigami remarked, calling instead for accountability against those who issued such provocative orders.
\nEarlier, NC leader and parliamentarian Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi had also condemned the move. In a post on X, he wrote, \u201cAttempts to monumentalise egos inside Hazratbal are not acts of devotion but of arrogance. A sacred place that has stood for centuries needs no one\u2019s nameplate for legitimacy. People were rightly offended by this dangerous attempt to play with religious sensitivities for self-glorification.\u201d He added that while Hazratbal had seen reconstructions in the past, never were such measures taken to claim political credit. Mehdi further warned that discussions around invoking the PSA in this context would only aggravate the situation and insult the sentiments of devotees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar: The installation of the Ashoka emblem plaque at the revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar has ignited widespread outrage across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), with political leaders from across the spectrum denouncing the move as an affront to religious sentiments and a deliberate attempt to politicize a sacred space. According to Kashmir …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":182964,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-182963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-occupied-jammu-and-kashmir"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2025\/09\/hazratbal-mosque-srinagar-jammu-kashmir-7-musthead-hero.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}