Srinagar, Sept. 6 -- A mob at Srinagar's revered Hazratbal Dargah vandalized the national Ashoka Emblem inscribed on a newly installed marble stone, igniting a political and religious controversy. The incident, which coincided with Eid-e-Milad celebrations, has sparked a heated row between political leaders and religious groups. Reports indicate that a crowd, angered by the presence of the national symbol within the shrine's premises, deliberately damaged the emblem. The marble plaque, which also bears the name of Darakhshan Andrabi, the chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, was part of a recent renovation project inaugurated on September 3. The group reportedly objected to the installation, citing religious prohibitions against idols or national symbols in a place of Islamic worship. Videos of the vandalism quickly spread across social media platforms, triggering widespread outrage among netizens who condemned the destruction of a national symbol. Many devotees said it was "shameful" on the part of the Waqf Board, which carried out the construction work, to be "insensitive" to the religious sentiments of Muslims in Jammu & Kashmir. The incident led to a political war of words between National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq and BJP leader and Waqf Board chairperson Darkshan Andrabi. "I'm not a religious scholar but in Islam, idol worship is strictly forbidden. The foundation of our faith is Tawheed (unity of God). Placing a sculpted figure at the revered Hazratbal Dargah goes against this very belief. Sacred spaces must reflect only the purity of Tawheed, nothing else," Sadiq wrote on X. Andrabi sought registration of an FIR against Sadiq and a case under the Public Safety Act against those who defaced the plaque and the emblem. "I request the lieutenant governor and the director general of police to arrest all those goons who created a scene at Dargah Hazratbal today. The case should also be registered against the legislator whose tweet provoked the people," she said. Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah lambasted the Waqf chairperson for threatening protesters with the Public Safety Act. "Attempts to monumentalise egos inside Hazratbal are not acts of devotion but of arrogance. A sacred place that has stood for centuries needs no one's nameplate for legitimacy. People were offended by this dangerous attempt to play with religious sensitivities for self-glorification." he said. PDP leader Iltija Mufti said : "Labelling Kashmiris as 'terrorists' because they expressed anger on something which hurt their religious sentiments & asking police to slap them with the PSA reflects BJPs communal mindset."...