Muharram procession held in Srinagar after 3 decades; LG Sinha says street violence in Kashmir now history | India News – Times of India
Expressing happiness over the peaceful 8th Muharram procession, lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and the security brass said it was a testimony to the return of peace and normalcy in J&K. The LG said street violence had ended in Kashmir and people were breathing freely today.
Scores of Shia mourners assembled at Guru Bazar early in the morning and marched through Budshah Chowk and MA Road to reach Dal Gate, and later dispersed. Emotions ran high and the mourners raised slogans as the procession moved. The gathering of more than 25,000 people was fully disciplined and well-coordinated, police said.
Multi-layered security cover was provided to the mourners and senior police officers and administration officials were present on the ground to ensure peaceful and smooth conduct of the procession.
“The procession started at 6am and culminated at 11am. Our forces were on the ground from 4am, while nakas were placed by 5am, before people started the march. Traffic management remained excellent since morning,” additional DG (Kashmir), Vijay Kumar, said.
The Muharram procession had not been taken out for the last 33 years and its resumption was “another historic day in the continued march towards peace and stability”, the ADG said.
The Shia community leaders expressed gratitude to the administration for the “historic decision”.
Voicing his satisfaction at the peaceful conduct of the Muharram procession, LG Sinha, while addressing a national convention on Sufism, said: “Street violence that was once a routine in the Valley, no longer exists. At one point of time, shutdown calls were a regular feature, but people were the ultimate sufferers,” he said.
Peace was imperative for development, which could not take place in disturbed areas, the LG asserted. He also spoke about the syncretic culture and the Sufi tradition of Kashmir.
Kerala governor Arif Muhammad Khan, who also attended the convention, said the teachings of revered Saint Sheikhul Alam were being followed across the world and that’s why “he is known as Sheikh-ul-Alam not Sheikh-ul-Kashmir”.
