Srinagar, 7 Sep

More than two dozen persons have been detained for questioning in connection with the vandalisation of the Ashoka emblem in the Hazratbal shrine here, officials said on Sunday.

The officials said police detained over 25 people after checking the videos and CCTV footage of the incident of vandalisation that took place after Friday’s congregational prayers.

"No one has been formally arrested so far but some people are being questioned," a senior police official said.

A huge controversy erupted in Kashmir after a plaque with the Ashoka emblem was vandalised in the Hazratbal shrine on Friday as political parties accused Waqf Board chief Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by using the national emblem in the mosque and demanded registration of a criminal case and her immediate removal.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said the Waqf Board should apologise for the "mistake," asserting that the national emblem is meant for government functions, not religious institutions.

While parties like the NC, PDP and the CPI(M) said the use of Ashoka emblem in the mosque was "provocative" and blasphemous, the BJP slammed the defacement of the plaque, claiming the incident was an attempt to revive terrorism and separatism in the Valley.

The plaque was placed inside the Hazratbal shrine, which houses a relic of Prophet Muhammad, on Thursday, sparking outrage among devotees who maintained that placing any figure or symbol inside a mosque is against the Islamic principle of monotheism.

The plaque was subsequently vandalised and removed by unidentified individuals after Friday prayers, prompting police to register a case against unknown people.

"I have never seen an emblem being used in this way in any religious place. Mosques, shrines, temples and gurudwaras are not government institutions. These are religious institutions and government emblems are not used in religious institutions," Abdullah said.

The controversy escalated when Andrabi, a BJP appointee, called for legal action, including booking the "hooligans" under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), for vandalising the emblem.

CM condemned Andrabi's response, saying the board "played with the sentiments of the people" and is now using threats.

"First, at least, they should have apologised for it. They should admit the mistake. It should not have happened," the CM said.