Srinagar, Sep 03: Shia cleric and Jammu Kashmir Ithadul Muslimeen president Molvi Masroor Abbas Ansari Thursday said that Police action against peaceful mourners on and before Ashura this year is reprehensible and government claim that action was taken in view of pandemic is a blatant lie as participants were following all SOP’s.
While addressing a press conference here in Srinagar Ansari said that religious authorities have permitted Muslims to take out smaller processions during Muharram while strictly adhering to Covid-19 protocol as laid down by the medical experts.
“We had already announced cancellation of main processions this Muharram in view of the Covid-19 but smaller processions were taken out in accordance with tradition while adhering to set SOP’s.”
He said the irony is that when the people here and youth, under the guidance of Mujtahids and medical experts, took out peaceful mourning processions taking care of the SOP’s, they were subjected to brute force. Hundreds of mourners were severely injured by tear gas, baton charges and pellet guns and some are still in critical condition”, Masroor said.
“Administration is stating that processions were stopped to save people from the epidemic which is a blatant lie, fabrication and highly reprehensible”, Masroor alleged.
“Past events have shown that even before the start of Muharram, the state administration would convene a meeting of representatives of its respective institutions and all organizations affiliated with the Shia community, but this year the administration did not bother to convene a meeting and unilaterally decided that it was banning Muharram processions, although the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen had already made it clear that all large and central Muharram ceremonies and processions will be canceled this year, but the local level processions will be taken out as per schedule,” he said.
“The most unfortunate aspect of this situation is that some religious parties here have announced in their statements that mourning processions will not be held, and announcements to this end were made through social media and advertisements. On the one hand, these parties tried to misrepresent the feelings and love of Muslims towards Imam Hussain (AS) and on the other hand, they supported the policies of the government. Authorities used their statements as an excuse to stop the mourning processions and gatherings here by use of disproportionate force”.
