NEW DELHI: Spontaneous protests broke out on Sunday (March 1) in parts of Srinagar city following the confirmation of the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a US-Israeli bombing.
Authorities have already made elaborate arrangements for security across the Kashmir Valley in anticipation of the fallout of the bombing among the Shia Muslim community of Jammu and Kashmir.
Protesters raising slogans took to the streets in many areas of Srinagar city as traffic officials diverted traffic to ensure law and order in the areas crowded by the protesters.
Protesters marched peacefully in the Saida Kadal area of Srinagar and some other places while raising anti-Israel and anti-US slogans.
A large number of protesters gathered in the city centre, Lal Chowk, with black flags to mourn the killing of the Iranian supreme leader.
The Shia community of Kashmir has a very close religious affinity with Iran, and all the top religious leaders and scholars of the Shia community have received religious education from Iran.
Reports of similar protests have also come in from Budgam district and other parts of the Valley with a sizeable population of Shia Muslims.
As protesters poured out on the roads, many Sunni Muslims also joined them, exhibiting sectarian brotherhood.
Authorities have made deployments of police and the CRPF in strength in the Zadibal area of Srinagar city and other places in the Valley, where protests are likely to take place in the wake of the latest developments in Iran.
Reaction from religious leaders of Kashmir is still awaited, as senior religious leaders like Imran Raza Ansari and others have still not issued any statement on the latest developments in Iran.
Interestingly, Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, who spread Islam in Kashmir, was a Persian Sufi saint, scholar, poet and missionary of the Shafi Kubrawaya order.
He played a pivotal role in shaping the region’s religious, cultural, and economic landscape through his teachings, writings, and introduction of Persian handicrafts.
His legacy endures through the Khanqah-e-Moula in Srinagar and his lasting influence on Kashmiri culture. - The Statesman/ANN
