14 injured during protests in Kashmir amid shutdown; restrictions imposed

At least 14 people, including six security personnel, were injured on the second day of protests that erupted in J&K following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli attack, officials said.

Authorities have imposed restrictions to curb people's movement, shut down education institutes and throttled mobile internet speeds in the UT as precautionary measures.

Clashes were reported at a few places in Srinagar after mourners were stopped from marching towards Lal Chowk in view of restrictions imposed following Sunday’s massive spontaneous protests across Jammu & Kashmir.

On Sunday, thousands of protesters—most of them from the Shia community—had taken to the streets in parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh after Iran confirmed Khamenei’s death in the strike. A large gathering was witnessed at Srinagar’s clock tower at Lal Chowk, which became the focal point of the demonstrations.

On Monday morning, as the Valley woke up to heightened restrictions, mourners from different parts of Srinagar and its outskirts again attempted to march towards Lal Chowk. Security personnel, however, prevented them from proceeding. At several locations, security forces resorted to mild tear gas shelling after some protesters allegedly engaged in stone-throwing.

Confrontations were reported from Jehangir Chowk, Batmaloo and the HMT Shalteng crossing in Srinagar. Carrying banners and portraits of Khamenei, demonstrators raised slogans against the United States and Israel over their actions against Iran. The protesters were later dispersed by security personnel.

Late Sunday night, authorities sealed the key clock tower at Lal Chowk, which had emerged as the epicentre of protests a day earlier. The restrictions followed a meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who heads the Union Territory’s Home Department. It was decided to impose curbs across the Valley to maintain law and order.

Sources said the restrictions were considered necessary to prevent any “mischievous elements” from disturbing the situation.

On Monday, heavy deployment of police and Central Armed Police Forces was made across Srinagar and other sensitive areas. Checkpoints were set up, and movement on several inter-district routes was regulated. Internet speeds were also reduced in parts of Kashmir, sources said.

Senior Jammu and Kashmir Police officials said the situation was being closely monitored. Except for parts of Srinagar where tear gas was used, protests in other areas of the Valley were largely peaceful, officials added.

“Situation is being monitored continuously and all officers are on the ground to deal with it,” a senior police officer said. Police sources said discussions were also underway on whether to impose further restrictions if required.

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU), an umbrella body of Islamic religious organisations in J&K, termed the killing a “brutal assassination” and a blatant act of aggression that has shaken the Muslim world. The body had appealed to people to observe a voluntary strike on Monday. The shutdown was supported by a few political parties.