Alwaght- Indian police on Thursday arrested senior Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and dozens of Shiite as police scuttled a plan for memorial prayers ceremony of slain Muslim trucker Zahid Bhat and stage a Muharram procession in the disputed region.
Reports say Indian forces attacked Kashmiri mourners marking the anniversary of the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad SAW, Imam Hussein AS.
During the clashes in the Muslim majority region, Indian forces fired tear gas canisters and began beating the Shiite mourners with batons to disperse them in Srinagar, the main city and also summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Kashmiri Shiite Muslims have rejected restrictions to participate in the procession to mark the lunar month of Muharram, the 10th day of which, known as Ashura, marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein AS.
“We want to keep alive the spirit of Husseiniat (the mission of Imam Hussein). That’s why the government here doesn’t allow us (to take part in the procession). We will keep the Husseiniat alive,” a prominent Kashmiri devotee at the religious rally said.
Tensions are also high in Indian-administered Kashmir following protests after the killing of a Muslim truck worker by extremist Hindus over beef consumption.
Indian authorities on Monday imposed a curfew in Srinagar, the region's main city, and several other parts of Kashmir following protests over the death of a truck worker attacked by extremist Hindus angered by rumors of cow slaughter.
18-year-old Zahid Rasool Bhat of south Kashmir’s Batengoo village succumbed to injuries on Sunday after a murderous assault by fanatic Hindus in Shiv Nagar area of Udhampur district on October 9.
The Muslim-majority region of Kashmir has been the scene of violent clashes in recent years. Indian army soldiers are in constant clashes with the fighters seeking independence in the troubled region. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in full by both, since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.
The two countries have fought two of their three wars over their competing claims to Kashmir, though a 2003 ceasefire has largely held despite small but regular firefights.