Protest erupts in Srinagar over Khamenei killing; tear gas used

SRINAGAR: Police on Monday used tear gas shells to disperse people protesting against the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid restrictions imposed in all districts as a precautionary measure.According to police sources, police resorted to tear gas shelling on protesters near Bemina Degree College after they attempted to march forward.

Authorities in Kashmir imposed restrictions across the Valley and reduced mobile internet speeds in the wake of widespread protests on Sunday.Major demonstrations were reported from Lal Chowk and Saida Kadal in Srinagar, as well as Budgam, Bandipora and several other areas on Sunday.

Lal Chowk, the epicentre of the protests, was completely sealed off.Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in large numbers along Airport Road and other sensitive locations. Concertina wires have been laid on key roads, and security checks were intensified, with vehicles being stopped and frisked at multiple checkpoints. Shops and business establishments across several parts of the Valley remained closed.Kashmir’s chief priest, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU), a conglomerate of religious organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday evening issued a joint statement expressing grief and condemning the killing as a blatant act of aggression by the United States and Israel. The MMU appealed to people to observe a voluntary strike on Monday to register their protest in a peaceful manner.“The people of J&K collectively condemn this brutality and the ongoing aggression against Iran, and the massacre of innocent girl students in Minab,” Mirwaiz said. “In this hour of immense sorrow, our hearts beat with the resilient people of Iran.”Ruling National Conference MP from Srinagar, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, condemned the restrictions and closure of Lal Chowk, calling it “a disgrace.”“It is available for dance and music parties, which is the symbolic identity you want to attach to it. But when people come out to mourn, to stand in solidarity with the innocent lives being torn apart, it threatens you in spite of the fact that the demonstrations were entirely peaceful.”