*Says Darakhshan Andrabi should apologise to people*
SRINAGAR, SEP 06 – Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday questioned the installation of the Ashoka emblem plaque at the Hazratbal Shrine, saying government emblems are not used in religious institutions.
Speaking on the controversy, Abdullah said there was no precedent for placing such emblems inside places of worship. “I don’t know if I should have put an emblem on that stone or not. I have not seen such an emblem being used in any religious institution or any function,” he said while speaking to media persons.
Abdullah questioned the decision behind installing the plaque. “What was the compulsion that a stone was used at Hazratbal? Wasn’t the work enough? Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah gave this image to the Dargah of Hazratbal. Tell me, did he put such a stone somewhere? Even today, people remember his work despite the fact that he did not put a stone of his name there,” he said.
He added that if the work was genuine, people would have recognised it without the need for plaques. “If a mistake was made, it should be admitted. At least apologize for it. Say that we made a mistake, it should not have been done,” Abdullah said.
According to him, government emblems are restricted to government functions and offices, not places of worship. “Mosque, Dargah, Temple, Gurudwara, these are not government institutions, these are religious institutions. Government emblems are not used in religious institutions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Police confirmed that a case has been registered over the vandalism of the Ashoka emblem plaque inside the Hazratbal shrine. An FIR (No. 76 of 2025) has been lodged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Nigeen. Police said a mob damaged the plaque during protests at the shrine on Friday.
Officials said investigations are underway and action will be taken as per law.
Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi condemned the vandalism and called for strict action against those involved. She alleged that the National Conference had provoked the protests and accused the party of “inciting people to disturb religious sanctity and public order.”(KNS).
