Anantnag, Sept 06: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that government emblems are not used in religious institutions. He was commenting on the controversy surrounding the inaugural stone at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, where an emblem was inscribed and later erased by people.
“Should an emblem be placed on that stone or not? First of all, that question arises. I have not seen such an emblem being used in any religious institution or any function,” Omar said.
He questioned the need for such a practice, adding, “What was the compulsion to use an emblem on this stone at Hazratbal? And then, what was the need to place a stone at all? Wasn’t the work sufficient? Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah gave shape to the Dargah Hazratbal, yet he never placed such a stone. People still remember his work without it. If the work is correct, people will recognise it.”
CM said that you (Darakhshah) made a mistake. “It should not have been done,” he said.
Responding to her demand for PSA against those who erased the emblem, Omar said, “What is the use of threatening people? First of all, you played with their emotions. At the very least, she should apologise and admit that it was a mistake.”
He further added that government symbols are not used in religious spaces. “In other religious institutions and functions where stones are placed, you can check, it is nowhere done. Government emblems are only used in official functions. Mosques, Dargahs, Temples, Gurudwaras, are not government institutions, they are religious institutions,” he added.
