On Monday (15th July), thousands of Shia Muslim mourners took out a Muharram procession in Srinagar a day after the Jammu and Kashmir LG administration permitted the religious procession. During the Muharram procession, mourners waved Palestinian flags and raised slogans in support of Gaza. Additionally, they also raised anti-US and anti-Israel slogans even after the administration had imposed several conditions on the procession to ensure that it proceeded smoothly and without any incident.
#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | Muharram procession taken out through its traditional route in the city – Guru Bazar to Dalgate. pic.twitter.com/gompohvp6s
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2024
#BreakingNews : श्रीनगर में लहराया गया फिलिस्तीन का झंडा, फिलिस्तीन के समर्थन में हुई नारेबाजी#Palestine #Srinagar #Flag #Muharram | @malhotra_malika pic.twitter.com/jxiHlfOuFi
— Zee News (@ZeeNews) July 15, 2024
Notably, the LG administration permitted the religious procession for the second consecutive year as the Muharram processions had been banned in Srinagar since the 1990s. Last year, the LG administration lifted the ban on the Muharram procession.
As the authorities had given limited time for the Muharram procession to ensure that normal life was not affected, thousands of mourners gathered at Guru Bazar at 5.30 AM on Monday, July 15. The procession started from Guru Bazar in the Karan Nagar area and concluded at Dal Gate.
Notably, the District Magistrate Srinagar, Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat had imposed several conditions on the processions. As per the DM’s order, the participants were instructed not to engage in any activity that could compromise the state’s security and sovereignty. They were also prohibited from displaying flags or symbols that could be deemed provocative or affiliated with banned organisations. It had asked them not to “indulge in any anti-national/anti-establishment speeches/sloganeering or propaganda.”
Despite the administration’s conditions, the participants raised anti-US and anti-Israel slogans. The mourners were also observed waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans in support of Gaza.
The first month of the Islamic calendar, Muharram is a period of mourning for Shia Muslims as they commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain. He was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and died at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
Asaddudin Owaisi raised ‘Jai Palestine’ slogans after taking oath as an MP in the Lok Sabha
Last month, on 25th June, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi raised the ‘Jai Palestine’ [hail Palestine] slogan inside the Lok Sabha after he took oath as a Member of Parliament. After taking the oath on Tuesday, Owaisi said, “Jai Bhim, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine”.
#WATCH | AIMIM president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi takes oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha; concludes his oath with the words, "Jai Bhim, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine" pic.twitter.com/ewZawXlaOB
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2024
After controversy erupted over his “Jai Palestine” remark inside the Parliament during Member of Parliament’s oath-taking ceremony, senior advocate Hari Shankar Jain filed a complaint against Owaisi seeking his disqualification as an MP.
Days later, on 4th July, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla amended the rules related to oath-taking of newly-elected members in the Lower House. The new rules barred elected members from adding any remark to the oath, including sloganeering.
