Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said her party would now approach Hazratbal police station after Nigeen police declined to register an FIR against J&K Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi.
The former Chief Minister urged the Jammu and Kashmir Police to act swiftly, saying: “Given the gravity of the offence — deliberately hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims and thereby provoking them — I urge @JmuKmrPolice to initiate an FIR immediately.”
The demand comes amid a growing controversy at the Hazratbal shrine that has snowballed into one of Kashmir’s most heated religious-political rows.
The dispute began on September 5, after Friday congregational prayers at Srinagar’s Hazratbal shrine, when worshippers noticed a newly installed inauguration plaque inside the compound. Alongside the names of Waqf officials, the plaque carried the national emblem of India — the Ashoka lions.
The emblem’s presence inside the shrine, which houses Kashmir’s most sacred relic of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), sparked outrage. Worshippers smashed the plaque, terming it an “idol-like figure” that violated Islamic principles. Videos of the vandalism quickly went viral, triggering a storm of political and religious reactions.
NC vice-president Omar Abdullah said there was “no compulsion” to install the emblem in a place of worship and demanded an apology from Andrabi. Mehbooba Mufti described the act as “blasphemy,” insisting that Andrabi be booked under laws relating to outraging religious sentiments.
Several NC legislators wrote to Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha seeking Andrabi’s dismissal, while the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an umbrella body of over 20 Islamic organisations, said the move was unacceptable in a place considered the “spiritual heart of Kashmiri Muslims.”
Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam termed the decision “extremely unfortunate,” saying authorities should have foreseen its repercussions. NC leader Tanvir Sadiq added that the installation went against the “very foundation of Tawheed (oneness of God).”
Andrabi, defending the decision, said the emblem symbolised India’s Constitution and accused her critics of politicising the issue. She described those who vandalised the plaque as “terrorists” and demanded they be booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
Police have already registered a case (FIR No. 76/2025) at Nigeen police station. Based on CCTV footage, 26 people were detained later.
