Thousands of Shia mourners thronged the streets in the heart of Srinagar on Wednesday, with the gathering marked by a strong display of support for Iran and the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside a criticism of the US and Israel.
The gathering in the city took place on the eve of the 8th of Muharram, an event allowed by the lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha administration in 2023 for the first time after decades and has continued since. Previous administrations would ban the processions in Srinagar city centre, citing separatist overtones.
Mourners chanted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans and waved pictures of the late Khamenei and his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. “Those who are friends of America are traitors,” they chanted.
The US and Iran recently signed a tentative peace agreement to end the war, viewed by many as a strategic success for the Iranian regime. The Shia mourners appeared to be buoyed by the agreement.
The mourners carried numerous banners and raised slogans as it passed from the city’s Guru Bazar to the Dalgate route amid tight security.
Top police officers, including director-general of police Nalin Prabhat, divisional commissioner of Kashmir Anshul Garg and several senior police officers participated in the event. Some of them distributed fresh drinking water and refreshments. The DGP was spotted holding a black flag, which would have been unthinkable at the 8th of Muharram procession in the past.
The city witnessed massive traffic snarls as the police diverted routes. Officials said elaborate arrangements had been put in place for the smooth conduct of the procession, including security deployment, drone surveillance and medical facilities.
Before 2023, some Shia mourners defied restrictions to participate in the 8th of Muharram procession in the city. There were no restrictions at other places throughout the 10-day mourning period.
The official permission to the event suggests an attempt by the LG administration to reach out to the Shias. Large Sunni gatherings at public places are routinely disallowed. The government has repeatedly disallowed Eid prayers at Srinagar’s Eidgah and Jamia Masjid to prevent Sunni gatherings, lest they metamorphose into pro-Azaadi gatherings.
Tehran invites PM
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is learnt to have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the burial ceremonies for Khamenei, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
The funeral ceremonies will be held from July 5 to 9.
There is no confirmation from New Delhi on the invitation to PM Modi.