J&K Parties Demand Removal of Waqf Chairperson Over National Emblem Controversy

Fast Summary

• Incident Details: Controversy arose at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar after a plaque with the National Emblem was installed during recent renovations. Worshippers vandalized the emblem by removing it with stones on September 5, 2025.
• Police Action: An FIR has been registered,but police have not clarified whether charges address both vandalism and alleged hurt to religious sentiments.
• Political Reactions:

– The ruling national Conference (NC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticized Darakshan Andrabi, Chairperson of J&K Waqf Board, for installing the emblem and demanded her removal.
– Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for an apology from Ms.Andrabi and questioned the decision to use official emblems at places of worship.
– NC leaders accused Ms. Andrabi of deliberate provocation ahead of elections in Bihar and sought further inquiries into alleged misappropriation of funds by the Waqf Board.
– PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti condemned installing the plaque as “blasphemous” while criticizing government action against worshippers involved in vandalizing it.

• Religious Association Statements: The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) expressed deep concerns over altering Hazratbal’s sanctity by introducing symbols incongruent with Islamic traditions. They called for dialog rather than punitive measures to resolve religious issues.
• Opposition Parties’ Demand: CPI(M)’s M.Y. Tarigami also sought accountability from Ms. Andrabi while emphasizing respect for laws protecting religious sentiments.
• BJP & Shiv Sena’s Stance: these parties condemned vandalism as anti-national acts aimed at undermining India’s identity represented by its national emblem.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The incident highlights complex tensions between national symbolism and religious sentiment in Jammu & Kashmir-a region sensitive to matters involving local identity, religion, and governance.While a plaque displaying India’s National emblem may have been intended as an assertion of state authority aligned with renovation efforts, its placement inside a prominent Muslim shrine such as Hazratbal appears to have unintentionally sparked notable communal discord.

For communities deeply protective of spiritual spaces like mosques or shrines where customary practices are observed strictly without external inscriptions or symbols, this became an issue not merely procedural but symbolic-a challenge to established norms integral within Kashmiri Islamic tradition.

On political implications: Calls for acknowledgment must weigh perspectives carefully where two groups feel affronted-Muslims citing sentiments versus defenders advocating full integration under India’s sovereign symbol policies!