Traditional Ashura Procession in Srinagar Disallowed

Paramilitary soldiers stands near a closed closed market during restrictions in Srinagar- Photo Abid Bhat

Srinagar- Authorities on Thursday imposed restrictions in the Abi Guzar area of the city to prevent members of the Shia community from taking out any procession to mark Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram.

Restrictions were imposed in the Abi Guzar area falling under police station Kothibagh while forces personnel had been deployed in strength to maintain law and order on the 10th of Muharram, the officials said.

Police had used force and detained scores of mourners after thousands defied restrictions and made repeated attempts to take out Alam Sharif procession on 8th of Muharram on Tuesday on its traditional Gurubazar-Dalgate route. The 8th Muharram procession was traditionally led by the Ittehadul Muslimeen party.

However unlike 8th Muharram less number of mourners were expected to make an attempt on Ashura in civil lines as the organisers, Shia Association and Anjuman-e-Sharie, two Shia parties take out a parallel procession in the interiors of Zadibal every year.

The traditional Ashura procession used to commence from Abi Guzar near Lal Chowk and pass through the areas of Basant Bagh, Haba Kadal, Nala Mar and culminate in the evening at Zadibal in old Srinagar before it was banned by the then governor Jagmohan in 1990 on the pretext that the mourning procession posed threat to law and order.

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