Hazratbal row: Over 50 detained in connection with plaque vandalisation incident          

More than 50 people have been detained for questioning in connection with the vandalisation of a plaque with the Ashoka emblem in the Hazratbal shrine here as police intensified searches for those involved, officials said on Sunday.

The police checked the videos and CCTV footage of the incident that occurred after the Friday congregational prayers, following which these people were detained, they said.

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

The official said action "as per law will also be taken against women who vandalised the plaque but any minor found involved in the incident will not be proceeded against".

A huge controversy erupted in Kashmir after the plaque was vandalised on Friday, with political parties accusing Waqf Board chief Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by using the national emblem in the mosque.

They 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.