Muharram restrictions have Kashmir on edge, 200 detained as clashes with police break out

Covid-19 has heightened scrutiny on Muharram processions, which have been subject to several restrictions since the advent of militancy in 1989.

Shia mourners are detained by J&K Police in Srinagar Friday | ANI

Srinagar: Situation in parts of the Kashmir Valley, particularly Srinagar, remained tense Friday as authorities imposed strict restrictions to prevent Shia Muslims from carrying out Muharram processions. 

According to senior police personnel, over a dozen protests and processions took place in Srinagar Friday, the eighth day of the 10-day Muharram mourning period. Some of these protests turned violent, police personnel added.

Police in Srinagar said they detained over 200 Shia mourners as part of preventive arrests, adding that they will be released after they sign a “personal bond” promising to refrain from participating in any form of procession.

Over the last week, seven individuals have been booked under the controversial Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged involvement in raising anti-India and “pro-azaadi” slogans at a Muharram procession in Srinagar.

The week also marked several violent clashes between police and Shia mourners in various parts of Kashmir, including Budgam and Srinagar districts.

Speaking to ThePrint, senior police officers said the situation in Srinagar is under control but authorities are keeping a “very strict vigil ahead of Sunday, which marks Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar”. Ashura is one of the holiest days for followers of the religion.

“The situation is under control. We are also probing elements who are involved in raising anti-India slogans and will be keeping an eye out if a similar situation arises on Sunday,” a senior police officer said.

During the first 10 days of the Islamic month of Muharram, Shias mourn the tragedy of Karbala (modern-day Iraq), where the grandson of Prophet Muhammad is believed to have been killed along with his companions and family members in 680 AD.

Shia mourners across the world take out processions to commemorate the tragedy every year, but major processions have been officially banned in Kashmir since the eruption of the insurgency in 1989. Each administration instead grants permissions to the community to carry out smaller processions restricted to neighbourhoods with a dominant Shia population.

However, each year, mourners in Kashmir try to carry out processions on traditional routes banned since 1989, resulting in clashes and protests.

‘Hezbollah posters come up in Kashmir’

Last year, with strict restrictions in place owing to the Modi government’s decision to scrap Article 370, several clashes were reported across Kashmir. This year, restrictions imposed in light of the Covid-19 lockdown, including bars on religious and social processions, have further heightened scrutiny.

On Friday, police and paramilitary personnel imposed a heavy security cover in Shia-dominated areas of Srinagar, and increased the number of checkpoints in other areas, including Lal Chowk, which is part of the traditional procession route for the eighth day of Muharram.

A second senior police officer said the restrictions are only meant to protect the people. “The Supreme Court only yesterday said that Muharram processions could not be taken out. This was in response to a plea filed to seek permission. This is being done only to protect the people,” the officer said. 

However, other sources in police said the “surfacing of anti-India sentiment in religious processions is a matter of concern”. 

Earlier this month, Sheikh Naim Qassem of Lebanon-based Shia militant group Hezbollah had extended their support to “Kashmir’s right to self determination”. Police sources said posters of Hezbollah and those of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed in a United States drone strike this January, have come up across Srinagar this year.

“We are certain that there are some elements who are attempting to instigate people but recently many religious organisation in Kashmir condemned raising anti-India slogans,” said a third senior police officer.