Use Of Brute Force On Muharram Mourners In IOK Denounced

Hurriyat leaders have strongly denounced the use of brute force by Indian police and troops on Muharram mourners in different parts of the territory. They also condemned the authorities for imposing restrictions in Srinagar to prevent people from taking out Muharram processions.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Sep, 2018 ) :Hurriyat leaders have strongly denounced the use of brute force by Indian police and troops on Muharram mourners in different parts of the territory. They also condemned the authorities for imposing restrictions in Srinagar to prevent people from taking out Muharram processions.

Several mourners were injured due to the use of brute force by Indian troops and police on Muharram processions in Srinagar on Wednesday. The police had also arrested dozens of mourners and lodged them in various police stations, KMS reported.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement issued in Srinagar said, "The police action is a sheer interference in the religious matters of the Muslims." He castigated the police and administration for imposing undeclared curfew in Srinagar. "Use of excessive force against the Muslims participating in peaceful religious processions has exposed the fascist and biased mentality of the authorities towards the Muslims," he said.

The Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a statement condemned the imposition of curfew-like restrictions in Srinagar and termed the barring of Muharram processions as direct interference in religious affairs of the Muslims. "Srinagar was held hostage by rulers to disallow Muharram processions. Curbs and restrictions were imposed on people's movement. Roads and alleys leading to hospitals were also blocked and patients were made to suffer. Harassment of people is getting worse day by day," he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik, in his statement condemned the use of force on the Muharram procession and arrest of mourners. He termed the action as the worst kind of human rights violation and direct interference into the religious affairs.

Senior APHC leader and the President of Anjuman Sharie Shian, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi Al-Safvi, in a statement while condemning the use of force on mourners said, the authorities welcome Yatris during Amarnath Yatra but thrash Muharram mourners for organizing peaceful religious processions. "It is direct intervention in the religious affairs that is highly condemnable. The curbs on these processions are uncalled for and need to be lifted without any delay," he said.

Hurriyat leader and the President of Jammu and Kashmir Itehad-ul-Muslimeen, Maulana Masroor Abbas, condemning the curbs on mourners and ban on Muharram procession said, "I want to ask the administration and the police if they can facilitate two month long Amarnath pilgrimage, why are Muharram processions banned and mourners thrashed."It is to mention here that it has been the age-old practice across Kashmir that on 8th and 10th of Muharram, huge processions used to be taken out from different areas of Srinagar and other parts of the Valley to pay rich tributes to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) � the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) � and his companions who were martyred in Karbala. However, the occupation authorities imposed ban on these processions in the territory in 1989.