Daijiworld Media Network – Srinagar

Srinagar, Sep 5: Tension gripped the Hazratbal shrine in Jammu and Kashmir after angry worshippers, armed with stones and shouting slogans, defiled the national emblem on a plaque placed outside the main prayer room.

The incident triggered a sharp political confrontation. BJP leader and J&K Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi condemned the act, terming it a “terrorist attack.” She alleged that one of her party administrators narrowly escaped injury in the violence. “It was not just an act to smash a stone, but a blow to the hearts of devotees and to the followers of the Constitution,” Andrabi said.

Vowing stern action, she declared that once the culprits are identified, they would be banned for life from entering the shrine and an FIR will be filed. Blaming National Conference (NC) activists, she said the party had returned to its “old games of stone pelting.”
“Don’t they carry currency notes in their pockets bearing the national emblem? Haven’t they sworn allegiance to it before coming to power in J&K?” Andrabi asked.

Responding sharply, NC chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq said Andrabi had hurt religious sentiments. “As per our Tawheed (Islamic monotheism), no sculpture should be placed inside a dargah. This is a religious place, not a government building,” he argued, adding that Andrabi should feel ashamed.

The controversy erupted just days after the Waqf Board formally inaugurated the renovated interiors of the Hazratbal shrine, with Andrabi highlighting that the renovation was fully funded by the board without external borrowing.

The unrest comes ahead of Eid-e-Milad, the Prophet’s birth anniversary, when thousands of devout Muslims from across the Valley are expected to gather at Hazratbal for night-long prayers.