Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir administration permitted the 8th Muharram procession on its traditional route in Srinagar on Monday for the second year in a row, prompting tens of thousands of mourners to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussain (A.S) in the battle of Karbala.
Large number of Shia mourners assembled in the Guru Bazar locality of the city at the crack of dawn since the district administration had granted the procession a short window of time to avoid disruptions to the daily routines in the summer capital.
The procession commenced from Guru Bazar at around 6 AM and made its way to Hussaini Hall Dalgate via Shaheed Gunj, Budshah Chowk and Maulana Azad Road with brief pauses.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place in Srinagar with additional deployment of police and paramilitary forces on roads to ensure the day passes off peacefully.
Officials told Kashmir Observer that the situation remained peaceful with no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the summer capital.
Notably, two major processions including 8th and 10th Muharram were banned in 1989 following the onset of militancy in Kashmir. Since then, only small mourning rallies and processions were allowed in a few pockets of Srinagar.
An important step forward was the UT administration’s approval of the 8th Muharram procession for a second year running. It has been generally appreciated that major Muharram processions in Kashmir have been allowed to resume after more than thirty years.
Dragging their bare feet through the scorching heat, the mourners, donned in black as a sign of bereavement, recited Nohas, an elegy commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his family and companions in the plains of Karbala.
Similar processions were taken out in a few interior pockets of the city.
The mourners marched in a peaceful manner, honoring Imam Hussain’s supreme sacrifice and chanting pro-Islamic slogans, providing no room for anti-social elements to stir-up tensions across sects.
The members of Sunni Muslim community had set up mobile kiosks alongside the roads, offering refreshments to the mourners.
In addition to implementing heightened security measures all the way from Guru Bazar to Dalgate, the authorities had made elaborate arrangements sealing all entry and exit points of the city. Public transport was out of bounds and markets along the route were shut. Poses of police and paramilitary forces were deployed on roads to ensure the peaceful culmination of the procession.
The Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir Vjay Kumar Bidhuri, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir zone V.K Birdi, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar Ashish Mishra were seen present monitoring the procession along the route.
Shia-Sunni Unity Shines
As a heart-warming display of communal harmony, Shia and Sunni volunteers joined hands on Monday to distribute refreshments among the mourners during the traditional 8th Muharram procession, which started from Guru Bazar and culminated at Dalgate.
The procession, marked by prayers and reflections, brought together people from diverse backgrounds to honor a significant occasion with reverence and solidarity.
Amidst the crowd, a collective effort stood out as volunteers from both Shia and Sunni communities worked side by side, setting up stalls to provide refreshments under the scorching heat. Their unified presence was a testament to the shared values of compassion and unity that transcend sectarian differences.
Among the other stalls (sabeels), one such stall was installed at Dalgate Srinagar by the cricket fraternity of Dalgate, where Sunnis distributed refreshments among the mourners.
During the traditional 8th Muharram procession, a Shia mourner, Abbas Ali, who was providing water to the thirsty said, at times like these; it’s important to come together as one community.
“Our differences fade away when we focus on serving others and showing empathy,” he said.
Fatima, another mourner, present at the Sunni stall at Dalgate Srinagar, said, “I am touched by the kindness shown by Sunni volunteers. Their presence here demonstrates that despite our differences, we stand united in times of sorrow.”
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