Srinagar: Restrictions imposed in the Kashmir Valley following protests against the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were lifted on Friday evening, five days after they were imposed. Protests erupted in several locations across Kashmir following Khamenei’s killing in US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28th. Authorities had imposed restrictions on March 2nd to prevent the demonstrations.
On Friday evening, restrictions were lifted in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, which had been barricaded with tin sheets and spools of barbed wire to prevent another Shia mourning ceremony at the Clock Tower. On Sunday, hundreds of Shia members had gathered in Lal Chowk to protest Khamenei’s assassination and the Israeli-US attacks on Iran.
A senior police officer said that restrictions imposed on Monday in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk and other Shia-populated areas have been lifted. He added that 4G and 5G data and prepaid services were also restored in the evening. The officer added that peaceful rallies were held in Budgam and other Shia-populated areas. No violent incidents were reported during these rallies or gatherings.
Authorities had not allowed Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta, Srinagar, and had also placed Hurriyat Conference Chairman and Chief Cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest.
Mirwaiz wrote in an X-post, “I too have been placed under house arrest, and on these very auspicious days, when thousands of people visit mosques for prayers and guidance, the pulpit of the Jamia Masjid is silent, and all lanes and roads leading to the mosque have been barricaded. This is very sad and unfortunate.”
Mirwaiz said that Muslims around the world are saddened and deeply disturbed by the Israeli and American attacks against Iran. He said, “Israel and America want to reshape the region to their advantage, and they are willing to go to any lengths to achieve this, as demonstrated by the brutal assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei, the head of a nation and a great spiritual leader, and the attack on Iran, a free nation. This has plunged the entire region into crisis and sorrow.”
Expressing his solidarity with the people of Iran and Palestinian citizens, Mirwaiz said that the Ummah (Muslim community) cannot be divided in such moments. When injustice is inflicted on one section, the pain is felt by the entire community.
Despite restrictions, peaceful protests against the US and Israel took place in Budgam and other Shia-dominated areas of the valley. National Conference MP Agha Ruhullah Mehdi led the protest rally in Budgam city.
Criticizing the BJP-led central government’s “silence” on the attacks on Iran, Mehdi said that the country supports Iran, but it is the BJP’s “anti-Muslim policy that is now affecting the country’s foreign policy.”
The Shia leader also demanded the cancellation of FIRs against protesters and mourners. However, he said that those accused of violence during these protests should be proven in court with evidence by the police.
Speaking about the FIR against him, MP Mehdi said that such police tactics will not silence him. He said, “I will continue to speak out, whether it’s about the BJP’s policies, police brutality, or the silence of the elected government in our state.”
