After three decades, Shia community takes out Muharram procession through Lal Chowk in Srinagar
Srinagar (PTI): After more than three decades since the outbreak of militancy, the Shia community on Thursday took out a Muharram procession on a traditional route in Srinagar passing through the Lal Chowk area, with hundreds of people participating in it amid tight security.
The administration had on Wednesday permitted a two-hour window - from 6 am to 8 am - for the procession. Mourners filled the streets as they peacefully marched on the Gurubazaar to Dalgate route carrying flags and chanting in unison.
"It's a dividend of peace," Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Aijaz Asad said, thanking security agencies as well as local volunteers for their assistance.
People had assembled at Gurubazaar around 5.30 am for the 8th Day procession and many hoped that the administration will now allow the important 10th Day march on Saturday.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the street violence in Jammu and Kashmir has ended and an era of peace has dawned in the Union Territory as he expressed satisfaction over the holding of Muharram procession.
"I am happy to tell you that today the 8th of the Muharram procession was taken out after decades and concluded in Srinagar peacefully. It would be wrong to do any politics on religious events," he said while addressing a conference on Sufism here.
Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told reporters that a three-tier security arrangement has been provided.
This is the first time in more than 30 years that the procession on the 8th day of Muharram has been allowed on the route.
"There was a demand from the Shia community for the past few years that this procession be allowed. After the government took a decision, we made adequate security arrangements for it," he told reporters.
On Wednesday, Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir V K Bhiduri had said the procession was not allowed for the past 32-33 years.
The administration's decision to allow the procession is a "historic step", the official had said. He had also said that the peaceful culmination of the programme will help the administration take similar decisions on other issues.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed the government's decision to allow the Muharram procession.
"We welcome this decision. At the same time, we hope that the government takes other steps as well. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is a religious leader and he should be released. Prayers should be allowed at Jamia Masjid without any curbs and Eid prayer should be allowed at Eidgah," Abdullah told PTI.
Abdullah had to walk from his residence on Gupkar Road to his office at Nawa-i-Subah due to massive traffic snarls in the city caused by the early morning Muharram procession.
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Smriti Irani being considered as BJP face for Delhi poll campaign, other names also on table: Report
Delhi: The increased involvement of Smriti Irani in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activities in Delhi has stirred discussions within the party's local unit regarding her potential candidacy in the upcoming 2025 assembly elections. For the first time in a decade, the BJP is considering projecting a face for its Delhi election campaign, with Irani's name among those in contention.
The recent meeting included discussions about several potential names who could be the face of the BJP for their Delhi poll campaign, including Irani, who previously lost the Lok Sabha election in Amethi to Congress's Kishori Lal, a senior BJP leader told The Indian Express. Other names mentioned include Praveen Khandelwal, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Manoj Tiwari, and Bansuri Swaraj. “Several possibilities are on the table, including fielding Smriti ji, regarding whom the national leadership is in the process of taking the final decision. Or, the party may bet on an incumbent Lok Sabha MP popular enough to pull the party through the Delhi Assembly elections. If an MP gets elected CM, they may then be replaced by a former Union Minister,” added the BJP functionary.
An insider revealed to the publication that the saffron party is contemplating a unified campaign strategy for the Delhi elections, marking a significant shift since the party last did so in 2015. This topic was addressed among senior leaders during a meeting held at the party's DDU Marg headquarters on the same day that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi Chief Minister, handing leadership to Atishi. The source revealed that the Union Ministers present in the meeting asked for suggestions on whom the party could project as the face of its Delhi election campaign based on various criteria.
In addition to selecting a campaign face, BJP leadership is reportedly also considering a larger role for its Delhi MPs, keeping adequate caste and community representation in mind.. “As far as the MPs are concerned, they are being assessed based on their popularity as well as the caste and community they belong to. The party may go in for significant organisational changes in Delhi during Navratri in October after the conclusion of the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections,” a BJP leader told IE.
