A signboard asking tourists to respect local culture and desist from drinking alcohol in Kashmir has disappeared from the Srinagar city centre, triggering outrage among Kashmiri politicians.

The signboard was erected on the roadside by a local traders' association but the shopkeepers are reluctant to talk about the issue, fearing a backlash. The development comes at a time when the government is facing calls to ban liquor in Jammu and Kashmir. Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on Saturday started a signature campaign to garner support for a law banning the sale and consumption of liquor.

Flagging the issue of the missing signboard, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday uploaded two pictures — one of the signboard on the roadside and another of a police vehicle in which it was allegedly placed after its removal.

"Why was this signboard seized? What exactly is wrong with urging tourists to respect local culture, avoid alcohol and use of drugs, and keep the city clean? Shopkeepers of Lal Chowk informed me about this. Is promoting moral values and decency now a crime in Kashmir?” Mirwaiz posted on X.

Mehdi claimed that "even appealing to tourists to respect local sensitivities is now illegal in Kashmir".

“Will @JmuKmrPolice clarify which law was violated by the signboard? Or is the only law in place the one that silences Kashmiris?" he added.

The MP said the “colonial LG administration in cahoots with the security forces” had turned Kashmir into “a Orwellian nightmare — where people can't protest, safeguard their identity, or even speak for their culture”.

“Suppression breeds resentment. The more you push Kashmiris to the wall, the stronger their will to break it down. Kashmiris like any other society in this country have the right to preserve and protect their culture and faith. @JmuKmrPolice is advised to not work like a colonial power but work and behave as local police guided by law and respectful to the community and its sensitivities,” he said.

Iltija also condemned the alleged police action and urged people to join her campaign. She said claims that a ban on liquor could hit tourism were unfounded. “You can ban alcohol and at the same time have a thriving tourism industry. There is no correlation,” she said, citing Gujarat’s growing tourism industry despite being a dry state.

She asked all political parties to join her campaign. “This (alcohol) is a social evil and not a political issue. It does not affect just PDP men or families but damages the moral fabric of our society. We need to protect our society, our people, and our youth.”

The lieutenant governor's administration has not reacted to the allegations of removing the signboard.