Srinagar, March 1 – Spontaneous protests erupted in parts of Srinagar city on Sunday following the confirmation of the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, due to a US-Israeli bombing.
Authorities had already made elaborate security arrangements across the Kashmir Valley in anticipation of the fallout among the Shia Muslim community of Jammu and Kashmir.
Protesters, chanting slogans, took to the streets in many areas of Srinagar city, with traffic officials diverting traffic to maintain law and order in the areas crowded by the protesters.
Protesters peacefully marched in the Saida Kadal area of Srinagar and other locations, while raising anti-Israel and anti-US slogans. A large number of protesters gathered in the city center, Lal Chowk, holding black flags to mourn the death of the Iranian supreme leader.
The Shia community in Kashmir has a very close religious connection with Iran, and all the leading religious figures and scholars within the Shia community have received their religious education in Iran.
Reports of similar protests have also come from the Budgam district and other parts of the Valley, with a significant Shia Muslim population. As protesters took to the streets, many Sunni Muslims also joined them, demonstrating sectarian solidarity.
Authorities have deployed police and the CRPF in strength in the Zadibal area of Srinagar city and other locations in the Valley, where protests are likely to take place in the wake of the latest developments in Iran.
The reaction from religious leaders in Kashmir is still awaited, as senior religious leaders like Imran Raza Ansari and others have not yet issued any statements 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 crucial role in shaping the region's religious, cultural, and economic landscape through his teachings, writings, and the introduction of Persian handicrafts. His legacy continues through the Khanqah-e-Moula in Srinagar and his lasting influence on Kashmiri culture.