Ashoka emblem on Muslim shrine in J&K stirs row

Srinagar: Engraving of the national emblem on the renovation plaque of Hazratbal Shrine here has sparked a controversy as locals and political leaders maintain that having any figures or shapes at Muslim religious places was against the Islamic concept of monotheism, PTI reported.

Devotees who visited the revered shrine that houses the relic of the Prophet Mohammad slammed the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board for inscribing the Ashoka Emblem on the inauguration stone inside the sacred place.

The shrine underwent renovation recently, and the reconstruction and redevelopment project of the shrine was inaugurated by Waqf Chairperson Darakshan Andrabi.

The inauguration plaque placed inside the shrine has the national emblem etched in the stone, drawing sharp criticism from various quarters.

Many devotees said it was "shameful" on the part of the Waqf Board to be "insensitive" to the religious sentiments of the Muslims in J&K.

Ruling National Conference (NC) chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA, Tanvir Sadiq, said placing a sculpted figure at the revered shrine goes against Islam, which forbids idol worship.

"Im not a religious scholar but in In Islam, idol worship is strictly forbidden' — the gravest of sins. The foundation of our faith is Tawheed.

"Placing a sculpted figure at the revered Hazratbal Dargah goes against this very belief. Sacred spaces must reflect only the purity of Tawheed, nothing else," Sadiq said in a post on X.

On Friday, people broke the inauguration plaque with stones, removing the national emblem.