Srinagar: Thousands of people poured into the streets across Kashmir after news broke of the US-Israeli assassination of Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, a leader revered by a wide section of Muslims in the region.
Large crowds chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans marched through the streets of Srinagar, as well as Budgam in central Kashmir and dozens of towns across north and south Kashmir. Reports of massive protests also emerged from the Ladakh region.
In Srinagar, thousands of demonstrators, many carrying portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei, converged at the iconic Lal Chowk, where protests were reported to be ongoing. Many mourners expressed deep grief over the death of the 86-year-old leader, who has a significant following in Kashmir. His portraits prominently adorn major squares in the city and are also visible in rural parts of the Valley.
In Shia-majority areas such as Budgam and Kargil in frontier Ladakh, thousands filled the streets, wailing and beating their chests in mourning for what they described as their spiritual leader, killed in an American-Israeli strike.
Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU), the largest conglomerate of Islamic religious organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, has in a joint statement expressed profound grief and condemnation over the brutal assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei, describing it as a blatant act of aggression by the US and Israel that has shaken the conscience of the Muslim world. “In this hour of immense grief , the people of Jammu & Kashmir stand in heartfelt solidarity with the leadership and people of Iran”.
