Protests erupted in Srinagar after damage to a dome of the Hazratbal Shrine during repairs on Tuesday.
Scores of worshippers took to the streets after the central dome of Hazratbal shrine, which houses the relic of Prophet Muhammad, was damaged during repairs. The shrine, made out of white marble, on the banks of Dal Lake, is the holiest shrine in the valley.
People were angry against the government and the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Waqf Board — a body which looks after most of the shrines in the valley — for their "callousness" in dealing with the repairs.
A police official said that a portion of the white marble tiles came off when some workers were rubbing the dome. "I think the government and the Wakf board have no regard for our religious places except the money these places are generating. Otherwise this would not have happened. After the blaze at Dastigeer Sahib shrine, the authorities should have taken extra care," a protester said. The protesters later dispersed peacefully.