Srinagar witnesses traditional 8th Muharram procession to remember Karbala martyrs

SRINAGAR — Remembering the martyrs of Karbala, the mourners for the second consecutive year carried out a traditional mourning procession on the 8th Muharram from Guru Bazar here to Dalgate on Monday.

The procession was earlier being disallowed for nearly 35 years and was only allowed since the last year during the Lieutenant Governor’s rule. However, the mourners were asked to start the procession in the wee hours of the morning and culminate it at the earliest.

At around 5:30 am, the mourners took out the procession from Guru Bazar here and crossed Dalgate locality in the afternoon hours. Later, the mourners assembled at Imam Bargah Dalgate where they remembered and paid homage to the martyrs of Karbala till around 4:00 pm.

Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) was martyred along with 72 companions in the battle of Karbala, Iraq some 1400 years ago as per the Islamic calendar 10th of Muharram, 61 A.H.

According to the news agency KNO, this year the permission was granted by the administration after the Yadgar-i-Hussaini Committee urged the government to permit the procession.

Syed Muzamil Rizvi, a volunteer with the Yadgar-i-Hussaini Committee, said that the procession started at Guru Bazar and reached Dalgate via Budshah Kadal via Moulana Azad road.

The procession concluded peacefully at around 4:00 pm, he said, adding that around 60,000 mourners participated in the procession since the wee hours of this morning.

The NGOs and other organizations had erected stalls today and over 300 volunteers—both from the Shia and Sunni communities, were providing water and other things to the mourners. The administration had also made adequate arrangements for the procession, he said and appealed to the administration to allow the procession on 10th Muharram as well.

Moreover, several religious clerics, Molvi Imran Ansari, Molvi Masroor Abbas Ansari and Aga Syed Mujtuba also participated in the procession.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, V.K. Birdi, made a compassionate gesture during the 8th Muharram procession in Srinagar by personally distributing water and refreshments among the mourners.

IGP Birdi commended the mourners for their disciplined conduct, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the community and the police. “The mourners are conducting the procession in a very peaceful manner,” he stated. “Volunteers are cooperating with the police, and we are here to facilitate them.”

Expressing the police force’s dedication to serving the people, IGP Birdi added they are ready to protect and support the community at all times. “The message from the police is clear: we are here to ensure the safety of the people of Kashmir and to serve them whenever needed,” he added.

Regarding the upcoming 10th Muharram procession, IGP Birdi said that the decision to permit the event rests with the district administration.

Division Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri told reporters that arrangements this year are better than last year. “Security forces and the local administration have played a great role in facilitating the Muharram procession,” he said. “Today’s peaceful procession is the dividend of the peace process.”