By Anees Zargar
Srinagar: Several political leaders and members of the Shi’a community have urged the authorities in Kashmir to allow the ritualistic processions during the ongoing Muharram commemoration that have been restricted for years now.
The first 10 days of Muharram, which mark the beginning of the new Islamic year, hold great significance amongst the Shi’a community who also commemorate the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussain Ibn Ali during the Battle of Karbala (a city in modern Iraq) in the year 680 AD.
The authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have banned large-scale processions in the valley in view of the security situation for the last three decades fearing that such a gathering could result in a law and order situation. The Muharram procession was for the first time banned in the year 1986 and in the wake of the outbreak of insurgency, the ban continued.
Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu said that the time is right for the administration to allow these processions as there is normalcy in the region.
“The proof of the pudding lies in the eating; it does not lie in the rhetoric. The proof of normalcy is the indication of normalcy. There is normalcy and it is not a myth so the processions should be allowed. The administration should not be over cautious with regards to the community,” Mattu told reporters in Srinagar.
A senior police officer posted in Srinagar told NewsClick that a decision is yet to be taken in this regard and will be taken after deliberations at the top level…
This story was originally published in newsclick.in. Read the full story here
