50 held over Hazratbal shrine emblem row

SRINAGAR: Nearly 50 people have been detained for questioning over the defacing of a plaque bearing the national emblem inside Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, PTI said Sunday, while National Conference (NC) put the figure at 30 and BJP’s Altaf Thakur said 26. J&K police have not confirmed any numbers since the vandalism Friday afternoon.“No one has been formally arrested so far, but some people are being questioned,” PTI quoted a senior police officer as saying, adding that women allegedly involved will face legal action but minors will not be proceeded against.Authorities tightened security around the shrine, which houses a relic of Prophet Muhammad, after the plaque was vandalised and removed following Friday prayers. Police had checked phone videos and CCTV footage before picking up dozens. No fresh disturbances have been reported.NC said an open FIR was registered and accused the LG-led administration of heavy-handedness. “I’m deeply anguished to learn that nearly 30 people have been detained by police,” NC MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said, calling the detentions “operational retribution” and warning against misrepresenting “an expression of collective hurt as anti-national”. He urged release of detainees and said the idea of India rests on respect for religious sentiment.NC president Farooq Abdullah called the installation of the Ashoka emblem a mistake. “There was no need to install the plaque. They put it up and people did not like it. When the Hazratbal shrine was constructed no board was placed there because it was dedicated to Allah and His Prophet,” he said. “We are peace-loving people and this shouldn’t have been done.”CM Omar Abdullah said Waqf Board should apologise, contending that the national emblem is for govt offices, not mosques.PDP, CPM and Peoples Conference demanded action against Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi, a BJP appointee, who had overseen the plaque’s placement Thursday as part of what she described as remodelling on Turkish lines.Opposition politicians called the plaque “provocative” and “blasphemous”, saying symbols are forbidden inside mosques. BJP said the defacement was an attempt to revive terrorism and separatism in J&K.BJP defended Andrabi’s role and alleged NC was exploiting the controversy. “This is an act of terrorism. Andrabi had every right to place the emblem. NC doesn’t like her and is using the emblem to create unrest in Kashmir Valley,” party spokesperson Altaf Thakur said.Andrabi demanded those who vandalised the plaque be booked under Public Safety Act.