Thousands take to streets in Kashmir over martyrdom of Iran’s Supreme Leader
Srinagar: Tens of thousands of people poured out of their homes across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir shortly after Sehri on Sunday morning, following confirmation by Iranian state media of the martyrdom of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the marches were peaceful throughout, but these led to traffic diversions at many places.
Massive and largely peaceful protests were reported from Srinagar, Budgam, Pulwama, Baramulla, Bandipora and several towns in north and south Kashmir, as well as Jammu and Kargil in Ladakh region. Demonstrators marched through the streets chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, carrying portraits of Khamenei and black flags in mourning.
In Srinagar, thousands converged at Lal Chowk’s Ghanta Ghar, where crowds continued to swell as protesters arrived from different parts of the Valley. Traffic diversions were put in place as protesters assembled in large numbers in the city centre. Many participants are wailing and beating their chests in grief, describing Khamenei as their spiritual leader.
Budgam and Kargil also saw significant gatherings, while protests were also reported in Magam along Gulmarg Road and in parts of Bandipora district, including Sarai Dangarpora and Shadipora. Organisers maintained that the demonstrations were peaceful and intended as a show of solidarity with Iran and an appeal for restraint in the Middle East.
