People in Ludhiana protest killing of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei

People in Ludhiana took to the streets in protest on Sunday following the killing of Iran’s supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an airstrike amid the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.

A large number of people staged a massive protest against the Israeli government outside the Jama Masjid Ludhiana. An effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was burnt as well.

A special prayer (Dua) was held to pay tribute to Ayatollah Khamenei’s martyrdom following the afternoon prayers at the Jama Masjid.

Addressing the mourning assembly, Maulana Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi, the Shahi Imam of Punjab condemned the act. “This is state-sponsored terrorism by Israel and America. The world remains silent in the face of their bullying because even the institutions meant to provide justice have become helpless against their high-handedness,” the Shahi Imam said.

The Shahi Imam further remarked that Ayatollah Khamenei was not just a leader for Iran, but a guide for Muslims worldwide. “We salute his martyrdom; his sacrifice will never be forgotten. Future generations will say with pride that when the powers of the world had knelt before Israel and America, one ‘Old Lion’ continued to fight the enemy until his very last breath,” he said.

The Shahi Imam also urged the Government of India to register a formal protest at the United Nations against the “terrorist act” by Israel and the US. He also called on the Indian leadership to declare a period of national mourning, citing India’s decades-old diplomatic and cultural ties with Iran.

Slogans of “Ayatollah Khamenei Zindabad” and “Israel Murdabad” echoed outside the mosque.