Reacting to the vandalism of the Ashoka Stambh at the Hazratbal shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq stated that they respected the Ashok Chakra, but claimed that it has been “misused” by Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi.
MLA Sadiq also demanded the dismissal of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board.
Speaking to ANI, Tanvir Sadiq said, “Sher-e-Kashmir (Sheikh Abdullah) respected the Waqf Board since it is a religious body. Those people who are aware of the religion should be a part of it. When Sher-e-Kashmir worked for the board, he never used his name, but today those who are part of it use their name first and believe in publicity. The purpose for which this board was created is not being addressed.”
He also stated that those people have become part of the Waqf Board who do “not deserve” to be part of it.
“The Waqf board should be dismissed. If anyone tries to break the social fabric of Jammu and Kashmir, and hurt religious sentiment then he has no right to be on the chair. We want the police to take action against this. We fully respect the Ashok Chakra, but it has been misused by VC Darakshan Andrabi. We are also demanding a house committee after the dismissal of the Waqf board here. Within 1-2 days, we will notify the speaker and disclose the details of corruption. The national conference never wanted violence, but because religious sentiments were hurt, the response was very spontaneous,” he further said.
Earlier, Imam Bashir Ahamed Usmani of Jamia Masjid Aallain Talab, Udhampur, demanded an inquiry into vandalism at the Hazratbal shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that a religious place has been turned into a “political ground”.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Imam Usmani called the act of defacing the national emblem inscribed on the foundation stone of the newly renovated shrine an attempt to spread “terrorism”.
He said, “The festival was being celebrated when the goons tried to spread terrorism there. We want a proper inquiry into this to know who the people were who created this mess in Hazratbal. There should be such an inquiry that the people who were the masterminds behind this are also found, even if they are political or religious leaders. These people have turned a religious place into a political ground.”
Demanding action against the miscreants, he slammed the people defending them.
“These people should be taught such a lesson so no one tries to vandalise any religious place in future, whether it is a mosque, temple, gurudwara or church. It seems that the people defending this and making it a political issue must be somehow involved in this incident,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) MLA Salman Ali Sagar questioned Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson and BJP leader Darakhshan Andrabi for placing the national emblem at the shrine.
Sagar said, “Only one person is responsible for this, that is the Chairperson. As a woman, we respect her. But this is a matter of our religion, of our faith. We should ensure that religious sentiments are not hurt. Somewhere, we feel that this is probably pre-planned.”
The NC MLA alleged that the emblem was placed to exploit the opportunity ahead of the Bihar Assembly Elections.
“There is an atmosphere of elections at some places in the country, and somewhere this is being made an opportunity to exploit the Bihar elections… BJP, through its chairperson, controlled the religious institutions here,” he said.
Earlier on Friday, Darakhshan Andrabi strongly condemned the vandalism of a stone plaque at the Assari Sharief Hazratbal Shrine, terming the incident a “very unfortunate”.
Speaking to ANI, Andrabi said, “This incident is very unfortunate. Tarnishing the national emblem is a terrorist attack, and the attackers are the goons of a political party. These people destroyed Kashmir earlier as well, and now they have openly come inside the Dargah Sharif.”
The row began after a viral video had surfaced showing a mob defacing the national emblem inscribed on the foundation stone of the shrine, which is undergoing reconstruction and redevelopment under the Waqf Board. The Hazratbal Shrine is a revered religious site in Srinagar, housing the holy relic of the Prophet Mohammad. (ANI)
