Human Rights

‘Very worrying’: Iran expresses concern over ‘Ashura mourners being injured in Kashmir’

The spokesman also called on the Indian government to investigate the ‘Ashura attack’

Srinagar: Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday expressed concerns over the tear-gassing and pellet firing on a Muharram procession in Kashmir’s Srinagar and Budgam districts.

“While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tribute to Aba Abdullah [Imam Hussein (AS)] and mourning ceremonies for Imam Hussein have been held quietly across India, reports of Ashura mourners being injured in Kashmir are very worrying,” Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry told the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) on Monday.

The spokesman also called on the Indian government to investigate the “Ashura attack” and to provide medical assistance to the injured immediatel, Iran’s english daily, Tehran Times reported.

Last week, at least twenty mourners who were a part of a Muharram procession heading towards an Imambara, in central Kashmir’s Budgam district were injured after police reportedly resorted to aerial firing and tear-gas shelling on the crowd.

Eyewitnesses told Free Press Kashmir that incident took place in Hurroo village of Budgam.

“The procession was following proper COVID protocols and SOPs during the march; however, police while dispersing the mourners swung into the action and used tear gas shells on us,” said a mourner who was part of the procession.

On the day of Ashura, scores of mourners were injured when the police resorted to pellet firing on the Muharram procession being carried out in Srinagar.

Eyewitnesses told Free Press Kashmir that the Jaloos started from Hamdania colony, and was to go towards Khomeini Chowk in Bemina when police showered them with pellets at around 4 pm.

However the police officials did not respond to Free Press Kashmir’s journalistic requests to comment on the matter.

Authorities had also imposed restrictions in parts of Kashmir to disallow the religious Muharram processions from being carried out across the city.

 

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