In a first, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-General Manoj Sinha attends Muharram procession in Srinagar

In a major outreach to Shias in Jammu and Kashmir, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday participated in the Zuljanah procession, an event of mourning for the community during the Islamic month of Muharram, in Srinagar.

In a major outreach to Shias in Kashmir, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday participated in the Zuljanah procession, an event of mourning for the community during the Islamic month of Muharram, in Srinagar.

Wearing a black dress, L-G Sinha visited the most volatile part of the city in Srinagar’s Bota Kadal area and offered ‘chaddar’ to ‘Zuljanah’, a procession carried out to recall the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussain, during the Battle of Karbala. L-G Sinha was also seen distributing refreshments among the gathering.

The L-G’s visit came after the recent controversy where a Shia cleric, Imran Reza Ansari, walked out of a meeting chaired by the former. Mr. Ansari had accused the L-G administration of being insensitive towards the Shias of Kashmir.

Earlier this week, the L-G administration also allowed a Muharram procession on the traditional Gurubazar-Dalgate route after a gap of 33 years.

The Shias have appreciated the gesture of the L-G and praised the arrangements being made by the administration for the Muharram procession, which is likely to culminate at the Zadibal Imambara in Srinagar.

Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP) Vijay Kumar said police officers were deployed from midnight in the city. “Allowing the historic procession after a long gap reflects a changing Kashmir,” ADGP Kumar said. He praised the cooperation extended by locals.