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Over 50 Shia mourners held
Tribune News Service and PTI

Srinagar, April 5
More than 50 Muharram processionists were taken into preventive custody after they attempted to take out Ashoora procession in violation of the prohibitory orders from Abi Guzar to Zadibal here this morning. Those taken into preventive custody included some Shia leaders and the JKLF leader, Javed Ahmad Mir, in the Lal Chowk area, even as Ashoora processions were taken out in several other Shia-dominated areas of the valley.

Tension gripped the Lal Chowk area since early morning today after the gathering of Shia Muslims at Abi Guzar was prevented. Several top Shia leaders were kept under house arrest as a precautionary measure to prevent any “untoward incident”. The civil administration had earlier disallowed two processions in connection with the observance of Moharram. The police said that these included one procession from Guru Bazar to Dalgate on Tuesday last and the main Ashoora procession today from Abi Guzar to Zadibal. The two processions have not been allowed during the past several years, as the police and civil administration apprehend mischief at the hands of forces bent upon creating trouble.

A senior leader of the Anjuman-e-Sharie Shiyan had here on Tuesday threatened to take out the Ashoora procession from Abi Guzar to Zadibal despite the prohibitory orders by the government. Aga Syed Mohsin, before being detained, told newsmen that his brother Aga Syed Hassan had been placed under house arrest this morning. He had returned to his Badgam residence from Mirgund from a religious function when police cordoned off his house and asked him to stay indoors, Aga said.

The police confirmed having placed Aga Hassan under house arrest.

Even as the police was busy maintaining law and order in the Lal Chowk and Badshah Chowk area, another group of Shia mourners took out a procession from Habbakadal area and began marching towards Zadibal in downtown Srinagar. However, the police again swung into action and used lathis and lobbed teargas shells to frustrate their attempts at Khankhai Mohalla, the sources said, adding several processionists were detained.

The Jammu and Kashmir Government had clarified yesterday that though there was no blanket ban on Muharram processions throughout the valley, two processions in Srinagar had been disallowed considering the prevailing law and order situation.

Meanwhile, at least six persons, including four militants, were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Two militants, one of them a foreigner, were killed when security forces engaged them in an encounter at Adina Makhama in the Beerwah area of Budgam district here last night. They were identified as one local Abdul Rashid Magray, alias Mustafa, of the Hizbul Mujahideen and a foreign militant, Abu Maaz of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. Two AK rifles, nine magazines, 97 rounds, one pistol, one wireless set, four hand grenades and five detonators were recovered from the site of the encounter, the police said.

One Army jawan was also killed in the encounter, while two others were injured, sources said. One residential house, where militants were hiding, was gutted in the exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces.