Ashoka emblem controversy at Hazratbal mosque explained

A mob vandalised the Ashoka Emblem at Srinagar’s Hazratbal Mosque during Eid-e-Milad-Un-Nabi.

Transcript

00:00A mob vandalized the Ashoka emblem at the Hazrat Bal Shrine in Srinagar.

00:16The Ministry of Tourism's Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive

00:20had recently renovated the shrine, reportedly spending Rs. 40.46 crore.

00:25Alongside this, the Jammu and Kashmir Wakf Board undertook the renovation of its interiors.

00:30Completing the work on September 3, the Hazrat Bal Shrine houses the reword Mo'iya Mukattas,

00:34a strand of Prophet Muhammad's hair, making it one of the holiest Islamic shrines.

00:38On September 5, the newly renovated Hazrat Bal Shrine was receiving a heavy inflix of pilgrims

00:43for Eid-e Milad-un-Nabi, a festival celebrating Prophet Muhammad's birthday.

00:47Around 3.30pm, a mob consisting of both men and women began vandalizing a renovation plaque

00:52peering the Ashoka emblem. The video of the incident quickly went viral.

00:55A day before the incident, JNK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had accused the Lieutenant Governor

00:59of hurting sentiments by allegedly refusing to shift the Eid-e Milad-un-Nabi holiday to September 6,

01:04based on the sighting of the moon. Dr. Dara Krashan Andhrappi,

01:07who is a person of the Jammu and Kashmir Wakf Board, without naming,

01:10accused a political party of being involved in the incident.

01:12C.M. Umber questioned the necessity of including the emblem on the plaque at the shrine.

01:31Former C.M. Mehbuwa Mufti said that the vandalizers should not be arrested.

01:3426 people in connection with the vandalism have been arrested after reviewing the CCTV.