New Delhi: Following protests in the Kashmir Valley against the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike in Tehran, at least 50 people have been arrested, and the police have identified over 200 others who participated in the demonstrations.
The police claimed that FIRs were registered only against those who were “raising anti-India slogans” while mourning Khamenei, allegedly attempting to activate their terror channels. The police action has drawn sharp criticism from residents and politicians, who have attributed the high-handedness to attempts to “silence the people”.
The protests have led to restrictions on public movement across the Valley, the closure of educational institutions until at least 7 March, the suspension of social media accounts of Kashmir-based publications, and a drop in mobile internet speeds.
Seven FIRs have been registered, including under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and some of those arrested allegedly have past criminal records.
According to police sources who spoke to ThePrint, their crackdown specifically targeted individuals who raised provocative slogans, including ‘Khilafat Khilafat’—which is associated with the idea of a global Islamic caliphate—and not mourners.
“It is wrong to say that FIRs were registered against protesters. Thousands of people attended the protests and participated in the rallies. The crackdown is not on those people but on those who raised slogans like ‘Bomb Iran, Bomb USA, and Bomb New Delhi,’” a police source told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.
“In fact, we are being very careful not to take action against protesters who were mourning the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or burning effigies of Netanyahu and Trump…. Action is only against those who used this opportunity to promote secessionist activities and raise slogans against India.”
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‘Identifications using facial recognition’
The protests in Kashmir Valley broke out shortly after Iranian State media confirmed Khamenei’s killing on 28 February, declaring 40 days of public mourning.
A second police source told ThePrint that over 200 protesters had been identified using Artificial-Intelligence (AI) enabled facial recognition drone cameras, with their images then matched against the police database.
“Among crowds of thousands, individuals were identified using facial recognition drone technology. Their photos were then matched with our database, and these are troublemakers with past criminal records,” the source said.
The source alleged that those arrested include individuals, allegedly booked in previous stone pelting cases or people with terror group links.
On 3 March, the Jammu and Kashmir Police also registered FIRs against Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Member of Parliament from Central Kashmir, and former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu. These actions were allegedly based on “credible inputs” regarding the circulation of content aimed at “creating fear, disturbing public order and inciting unlawful activities”.
Cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has also alleged he was placed under house arrest and that the Jama Masjid was barred from holding Friday prayers.
After an initial period of diplomatic silence, India officially conveyed its condolences on 5 March, when Foreign Secretary Vikran Misri signed the condolence book at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi.
‘Suppression of anti-US, anti-Israel voices’
Speaking to ThePrint, MP Ruhullah said the arrests were condemnable and demanded that the street protesters be released and the FIRs against them withdrawn.
He also criticised Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah—who has denounced the US action in Iran while appealing for harmony in Kashmir—for not speaking out more strongly against the arrests.
“This action is being done at the behest of the BJP. They just want to suppress any anti-US and anti-Israel voices. The Prime Minister is also a silent enabler. He did not condemn the act of violence of the killing of a supreme leader, the killing of innocent schoolchildren, and the attack on a merchant ship by the US in our backyard,” he said.
“He [Modi] visited Israel and gave a façade of normalcy while the planning was on to attack Iran,” Ruhullah added. “I am not sure what India is gaining, but silencing protesters and mourners is not right.”
“The protesters do not have anything against the police or India. Their protest is against the US and Israel. They are calling out the killing of a religious head, which, they say, is also a violation of international law. These are peaceful protests,” Ruhullah added. “By registering an FIR against me, they have also attempted to silence and intimidate me.”
His post on X rebuked Omar Abdullah for his stance. “When and how was the communal harmony disturbed by the mourners, which forced the assembly of this ‘group’ to call for communal harmony. What message is he trying to send? Whose point is he asserting and advocating? Is he trying to become an instrument of the establishment to justify their unjustifiable actions?” Ruhullah asked.
Taking to X, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has demanded the withdrawal of the FIRs, saying, “Just because GOI & NC government in Jammu & Kashmir have chosen to remain silent on the blatant aggression by US and Israel against Iran and the martyrdom of its Supreme Leader doesn’t mean that those who speak out are offenders to be booked under the law. The FIR against Aga Ruhullah and Junaid Azim Matoo is egregiously unwarranted and unjust. It must be withdrawn immediately.”
Just because GOI & NC government in Jammu & Kashmir have chosen to remain silent on the blatant aggression by US and Israel against Iran and the martyrdom of its Supreme Leader doesn’t mean that those who speak out are offenders to be booked under the law.
The FIR against Aga…
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 4, 2026
“I stand in peace with those who stand in peace with you, and in opposition to those who oppose you, until the Day of Judgment.” pic.twitter.com/NyDSuOWQVa
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 4, 2026
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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