Police Break up Muslim Muharram Procession in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Kashmir, MINA – Indian police broke up a procession of Muslim mourners observing the month of Muharram in Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir on Sunday, The New Arab reported on Tuesday.

Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.

Sunday marked the eighth day of the month, two days before the processions will peak on Ashura.

Police had earlier placed restrictions on congregations in the city of Srinagar, and subsequently cracked down on mourners who defied the order.

Dozens of videos have surfaced on Twitter and other social media platforms showing India’s security forces forcefully breaking up the procession.

Ashura this year falls just days after 5 August, which marks three years since the Indian government revoked Kashmir’s special status under the constitution, including the right to make its own laws on all matters except for defence, foreign affairs, and communications.

Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region, has weathered decades of violence since it was partitioned between India and Pakistan when both countries became independent in 1947. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)