Shia mourners staged protests from Kashmir to Karnataka after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israel airstrike in Tehran on Saturday, with Iranian state media confirming his death on Sunday. In Kashmir, which has about 15 lakh Shias, demonstrations were held at Lal Chowk, Saida Kadal, Budgam, Bandipora, Anantnag and Pulwama, where protesters beat their chests and raised anti-US and anti-Israel slogans.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern and appealed for calm. “Chief Minister has expressed deep concern over the unfolding developments in Iran, including reports of the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He has appealed to all communities to remain calm, uphold peace, and avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest,” the Chief Minister’s Office said on X.
He said the government is coordinating with the Union Ministry of External Affairs to ensure the safety of J and K residents, including students, in Iran.
In Lucknow, protesters gathered near Bara Imambara, raising slogans as women mourners held Khamenei’s photographs and wept. Maulana Yasoob Abbas of the All India Shia Personal Law Board announced that effigies of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be burnt on Monday and that the Shia community would observe a three-day mourning by wearing black, hoisting black flags and organising special prayers. Protests were also reported in Ludhiana, where Shahi Imam Maulana Mohammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi demanded a week-long national mourning, and in New Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and Telangana.
In Ajmer, Syed Asif Ali announced a three-day mourning, with condolence meetings at Dargah in Dorai and Taragarh. In Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district, where villagers said Khamenei visited Alipura in 1986, shops shut voluntarily and a three-day mourning was observed. Meanwhile, several devotees from Jodhpur are stranded in Dubai after return flights were cancelled following attacks near Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
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