Thousands of Shia Muslims marched through Srinagar on Thursday for a major religious procession, the first such event allowed in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in decades.
In the seventh century, the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) grandson Hussain (RA) was martyred, making this month of Muharram the holiest for Shias around the world.
However, the customary celebration was outlawed by IIOJK authorities in 1990, the year an armed insurrection against Indian administration started in the contested province.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been anxious to claim greater security in the region following decades of conflict ever since installing direct rule on the area four years ago.
After numerous rounds of negotiations between officials and clergy to allow the march to proceed, top police officers and administrators walked with mourners as they marched through the streets of Srinagar thumping their chests and waving flags.
The city’s senior administrator, Mohammad Aijaz, told reporters, “This is a dividend of peace” after the parade ended peacefully.
Read more about how the international community is urging India to stop its brutality in IIOJK.
Small Muharram processions have been allowed in the occupied area since the ban was lifted in 1990, but they have sometimes descended into violence as mourners shouted slogans seeking independence and government authorities dispersed crowds with tear gas and pellet gun fire.
Authorities estimate that out of Kashmir’s total population of almost 14 million, at least 1 million are Shia Muslims, making up a small but significant minority in the predominantly Sunni territory.
With many newcomers joining for the first time, this year’s procession was the largest in a generation.
Officials gave their blessing to the funeral march on the condition that mourners refrain from displaying “anti-national slogans or propaganda” or allusions to “banned organizations.”
Conflict for decades
Since an insurgency against Indian sovereignty broke out in IIOJK in 1989, tens of thousands of civilians, troops, and rebels have been slaughtered.
India has at least half a million troops stationed permanently around IIOJK to maintain order as insurgent groups have called for independence or a merger with Pakistan.
under 2019, Modi’s government nullified the territory’s restricted jurisdiction guarantees under the constitution.
Cinemas in Srinagar reopened last year after being closed for decades, and the city hosted a G20 gathering in May, in anticipation of a summit of world leaders in New Delhi in September.
After recent incidents, India has increased security at the G20 summit being held in IIOJK.
However, protesters, citizens, and religious leaders all claim that authorities have severely restricted their rights in an effort to quell the disturbance.
Since 2019, the region’s top cleric has been under house arrest, and the number of worshippers allowed in the main mosque in Srinagar has been strictly regulated.
Shia leader and procession organizer Mansoor Abbas Ansari has called for the release of imprisoned religious leaders and an end to the practice of capping congregations during religious services on Thursday.
Only then, he told reporters, can the government’s claims of peace be established.
