Overview

• A group at Srinagar’s Hazratbal shrine broke a newly installed plaque bearing the Ashoka emblem on Friday, an act captured on video that spread widely online.
• The plaque was part of recent Waqf Board-led renovations, and its figurative engraving drew objections from devotees citing Islamic prohibitions on such depictions inside sacred spaces.
• Waqf Board chair Dr. Darakhshan Andrabi condemned the vandalism as a terrorist act, urged FIRs, pressed for use of the Public Safety Act, and called for a case against NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq over his post opposing the emblem.
• National Conference leaders, including Tanvir Sadiq and MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, criticized the emblem’s placement and warned that PSA use would inflame tensions, urging dialogue and restraint.
• u & KashKashmir Police said they are investigating; some security sources claimed the individuals involved have been identified, though authorities had not announced arrests or detentions.