Muharram processions held across Kashmir; CM Omar, L-G Sinha join mourners

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - June 26, 2026 10:23 pm IST - Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday, June 26, 2026, joins the Ashura processions at Zadibal in downtown Srinagar. | Photo Credit: Imran Nissar Muharram processions were held across the Kashmir valley on Friday (June 26, 2026) to mark ‘Ashura’. The solemn day commemorates the martyrdom of Hussain – the grandson of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad – who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in the 7th century. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah joined the mourners. Shia mourners assembled early in the morning at Srinagar’s Gulshan Bagh in Botakadal area and took part in the processions leading up to Zadibal in the old city. The mourners marched through the streets as they wailed and performed chest beating in a show of grief and recited ‘marsiya’ (elegy). Major processions were also held in parts of Budgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, Pulwama and Anantnag. In Srinagar, black banners with Islamic slogans and pictures of the assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his son and current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei were erected across the old city. The religious processions, attended by women and children, were carried out under multi-tier security. The police had issued an advisory against hoisting of flags with provocative slogans, texts, photographs of terrorists or logos of banned organisations and against raising anti-India or anti-administration slogans. Shia Muslims take part in a religious procession to mark Ashura, on the tenth day of the Islamic holy month of Muharram commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein, in Srinagar on June 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: Imran Nissar Mr. Omar, accompanied by adviser Nasir Aslam Wani, Ministers and legislators, served refreshments to the mourners at Zadibal. “The sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain and the lessons we derive from that sacrifice are of immense importance. When we forget those teachings, we end up facing destruction and ruin,” said Mr. Abdullah. The Chief Minister said that the historic Ashura procession, banned in the old city since the 1990s, would one day be restored to its original traditional route . “The day will soon come when the Ashura procession returns to its original route,” he added. Mr. Sinha who also joined the procession at Zadibal said: “I pay humble tributes to Hazrat Imam Hussain and his companions. Their supreme sacrifice for peace, love, and compassion remains an eternal guide to building a society rooted in equality and harmony.” Leaders of Opposition parties also joined the processions. Inspector General of Police V.K. Birdi praised the role of the public and volunteers in the peaceful conduct of Muharram processions. “The police had made special traffic and crowd management plans to ease movement through the congested lanes of the old city. Volunteers were deployed, and police protocols were duly followed. We are very grateful to them,” said Mr. Birdi. Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Muharram processions held across Kashmir; CM Omar, L-G Sinha join mourners

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Muharram processions held across Kashmir; CM Omar, L-G Sinha join mourners

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