Srinagar, July 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Shia mourners for raising Hezbollah flags and slogans during 8th Muharram procession in the summer capital, Srinagar.
Top sources told Kashmir Dot Com that the slogans were chanted and flags were raised as part of the traditional Muharram observance, which commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain. The police have cited concerns over the potential for such slogans and flags to incite ‘unrest’ and ‘disturb public order’.
The open FIR has been filed at the Kothibagh Police Station in Srinagar under FIR no 36/ 2024 under section 2223, 152 of BNS Sections and 13 UAPA, a top police officer confirmed to Kashmir Dot Com.
Police have not disclosed the identities of those named in the FIR, and investigation is going on.
Meanwhile, the police have urged the public to refrain from activities that could disrupt communal harmony during the sensitive period of Muharram.
Shia mourners in large numbers took out a procession in Srinagar on Monday, marking the 8th Muharram procession through the traditional Guru Bazaar-Dalgate route.
The momentous occasion saw a massive turnout as mourners, clad in black attire and carrying religious banners, commemorated the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Since the insurgency started in Kashmir in 1989, for 34 years till 2023, the procession was banned.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vidhi Kumar Birdi monitored the procession till its culmination.
Terming the police action as ‘unwarranted and an assault on freedom of expression’, Member Parliament from Srinagar, Aga Syed Ruhulla Mehdi in a post on ‘X’ demanded immediate release of those allegedly arrested by the police.
“The Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested several youths for raising slogans in favor of the people of Palestine and carrying the Palestinian flag in a Muharram procession yesterday in Srinagar. This is an assault on freedom of expression, especially an expression in favor of the oppressed people. As conveyed through telephonic conversation, the police should release these men and avoid treating them as criminals,” Ruhullah wrote on X, formerly twitter.–(KDC)
