Police in Indian-administered Kashmir fired tear gas at protesters demonstrating against the killing of Iran’s supreme leader for a second day.
SRINAGAR: Police in Indian-administered Kashmir fired tear gas on Monday during clashes with thousands of demonstrators protesting the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for a second consecutive day.
The clashes erupted after authorities imposed restrictions on public movement and closed schools for two days as a precautionary measure following a strike call by Muslim organisations led by the region’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
Protesters clashed with security forces when they were prevented from marching towards the main square in Srinagar, which authorities had sealed off.
Demonstrations also took place in other parts of the Kashmir valley, with participants displaying portraits of Khamenei, slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported that protesters shouted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans while waving flags associated with Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
A police officer speaking on condition of anonymity stated that minimum tear gas shelling was used after demonstrators ignored warnings to stop their march.
The protests follow peaceful street demonstrations by tens of thousands in the Muslim-majority region on Sunday against the strikes by Israel and the United States that killed the Iranian leader.
Kashmir, which has a significant Shia Muslim population, shares historical and cultural connections with Iran, where scholars are credited with introducing Islam to the region.
Khamenei received a momentous welcome during his only visit to the territory in the early 1980s.
The territory’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, who does not control security forces, said on Sunday that mourners should be allowed to grieve peacefully and police should refrain from using force.
Khamenei and top Iranian military leaders were killed on Saturday, prompting retaliatory strikes by Iran on Israel and across the Gulf.
