IIOJK authorities impose severe restrictions on Ashura procession in Srinagar
Shia leader warns of widespread protests if action taken against mourners
Srinagar: Authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have effectively denied permission for the 10th Muharram (Ashura) procession to proceed from Bota Kadal to Zadibal via Mill Stop and Firdous Cinema in Srinagar .
According to Kashmir Media Service, as the authorities have continued the decades-old ban on Ashura processions along the traditional route from Abi Guzar to Zadibal in Srinagar, the mourners had submitted a request for the Ashura procession from Bota Kadla to Zadibal via Mill Stop. However, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Srinagar, outright rejected the request, while the District Magistrate granted conditional approval for a heavily restricted alternate route — from Bota Kadal to Imambara Zadibal — via Alipora Chowk, Mohalla Syed Afzal Lane, Shiribhat, Alamgari Bazar, and Gassiyar Chowk.
Despite this partial approval, the conditions imposed have significantly curtailed the religious and symbolic nature of the procession. The administration’s order strictly bans all forms of anti-India or anti-authority slogans. It also prohibits the display of banners or posters featuring pro-freedom slogans, images of Muslim freedom fighters, or any symbols representing resistance organizations, whether local or international.
Organizers have been instructed to fully adhere to police directives and are required to submit in advance the names and number of participants to the Superintendent of Police, City Hazratbal. Public address systems, loudspeakers, and the installation of any stages during the procession have also been banned. The order warns that any breach of these conditions will invite strict legal action.
This decision follows police action taken on the 8th of Muharram, when a case was registered against several mourners for allegedly violating procession guidelines in central Srinagar. The charges included accusations of “deliberate and unlawful acts aimed at disturbing public order and communal harmony.”
Reacting strongly to the police crackdown, senior Shia leader Agha Syed Muhammad Hadi has warned of widespread protests if action is taken against the mourners. The move is being widely viewed by the Kashmiri public as another attempt by the authorities to suppress religious freedom and expression in the occupied territory.
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