Srinagar buzzes with tension as protests erupt across the valley following the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israel strikes. Thousands, mainly from the Shia community, have taken to the streets since March 1, mourning the leader and voicing fury against America and Israel.
Rallies swept through Lal Chowk in Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, and beyond. Demonstrators waved Khamenei posters, chanted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, and in some spots, burned effigies of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges at select locations, leading to arrests including several women who joined the peaceful gatherings.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti stepped into the fray on Saturday. In a pointed post on X, she urged J&K police to immediately free the detained protesters. ‘Women and others arrested in Kashmir for peacefully participating in rallies after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s martyrdom have not been released despite assurances to their families,’ she wrote, calling on authorities to act swiftly.
Mufti has been vocal on the issue before, slamming the strikes as a recipe for regional chaos and questioning the central government’s silence. She stressed that grieving and showing solidarity is a fundamental right. Peaceful expression should not brand citizens as criminals, she argued, directly appealing to the Director General of Police to handle the situation with sensitivity.
As protests continue, Mufti’s intervention highlights the delicate balance between public sentiment and law enforcement in a region already on edge. The coming days will test how authorities navigate this wave of unrest while addressing calls for restraint and release.