New Delhi: The J&K police and Central armed forces on Friday once again imposed curfew-like restrictions in parts of Srinagar to hold back mourning processions planned by Shia Muslims to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, and his companions in the battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
The officials said that the security restrictions were in place in some parts of Srinagar “as a precautionary measure” to maintain peace and tranquillity.
The witnesses said that the security forces used force when groups of mourners appeared in parts of the city where restrictions were in place and made repeated attempts to organise rallies. Many of them were subsequently detained by the police on charges of violating prohibitory orders and then lodged in nearby police stations for rest of the day.
In Jammu and Kashmir, an official ban remains in force on organising Muharram rallies and processions along select traditional routes mainly in Srinagar.
