Srinagar/Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday appealed for calm as police assessed the overall law and order scenario amid widespread protests following the killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Protests broke out in several parts of the Union Territory on Sunday against the killing of Khamenei in a US-Israel strike, officials said.
Thousands of protesters took to streets at various places in areas with a large Shia population in most parts of Kashmir and a few pockets in Jammu, including Bhatindi in the outskirts of the city and Chanderkote in Ramban district, they said.
Abdullah said his government is in close coordination with the Union Ministry of External Affairs to ensure the safety and well-being of J-K residents, including students, currently in Iran.
“I’m deeply concerned about the unfolding developments in Iran, including the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader. I appeal to all communities to remain calm, uphold peace, and avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest.
“We must also ensure that those who are mourning in Jammu and Kashmir are allowed to grieve peacefully. The police and administration should exercise utmost restraint and refrain from using force or restrictive measures,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
Khamenei was killed in an attack by Israel and the United States, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday.
A police official said senior police officers reviewed the security situation in the wake of spontaneous protests over the killing of Khamenei.
The district police officers were directed to keep a close watch on the emerging situation and ensure peace, the official said.
The largest gathering was witnessed near the historic Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower) at Lal Chowk, where hundreds of protesters, carrying black flags and pictures of the slain Iran leader, assembled to express grief, raising slogans against the United States and Israel.
Eyewitnesses said the gathering included not only members of the Shia community but also a large number of Sunnis who had come from different parts of the city to join the mourning.
All major markets in Srinagar, including Lal Chowk, Hari Singh High Street, Goni Khan, Residency Road, Batamaloo, and Jamia Market in the old city, remained closed as a mark of protest. The weekly Sunday flea market also did not operate. Reports of closure of shops and business establishments were received from some other parts of the Valley as well.
Officials said no law-and-order incident was reported from anywhere in the Valley. Police and paramilitary forces were deployed at several places as a precaution to prevent any untoward incident.
Meanwhile, cutting across party and sectarian lines, various religious and political leaders also expressed “profound anguish” over the assassination of Khamenei in joint strikes by the US and Israel.
National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah has strongly denounced the act, describing it as a tragic and destabilising development with serious implications for peace and stability in the region,” the ruling party said in a statement here.
The former chief minister said such incidents deepen uncertainty and grief, and underscored the urgent need for wisdom, restraint and adherence to the principles of justice and international law.
Senior Abdullah appealed for calm and urged the administration to handle the situation with sensitivity and discretion, ensuring that those who wish to mourn are able to do so respectfully, without fear or undue restrictions, while maintaining public order.
“Today marks a deeply tragic and shameful point in history with Israel and USA boasting about the killing of Iran’s beloved leader Ayatollah Ali Khanenei,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on X.
She said the explicit and implicit support given by Muslim countries to the killing was even “more disgraceful”.
“What’s more disgraceful and shocking is the explicit and implicit support given by Muslim countries who chose convenience and expedience over conscience,” she added.
Mufti said history “will stand testament” to who fought for justice and who helped the oppressors.
“Prayers with the people of Iran. May Allah grant them strength and victory over forces of tyranny and injustice,” the former chief minister said.
The PDP president also extended support to the shutdown call given by Muttehida Majlis Ulema (MMU) against Khamenei’s killing.
“Extending our full support and solidarity with the shutdown call of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on the martyrdom of Iran’s Supreme Leader. This is a day of mourning to remind the world that injustice anywhere wounds the entire Muslim Ummah and all who stand for truth,” she added.
In a statement, Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone voiced profound grief and deep anguish over the rapidly escalating and volatile situation in Iran and the wider Gulf region following the joint US-Israeli military operation that led to the killing of Khamenei.
“The developments in Iran and the Gulf region are distressing to say the least. And extremely sad and brutal is the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei. I pray for peace in Iran and the Gulf region. May peace prevail. And May Allah grant patience to those who are in a state of mourning,” he said.
The MLA from Handwara described the unfolding developments as deeply distressing and tragic, terming the killing of the Iranian supreme leader as an act that has intensified uncertainty and sorrow across the region.
Lone also raised serious concern over the fate of thousands of families anxiously awaiting the safe return of their loved ones stranded in conflict-affected zones.
“These are extremely disturbing times with families worried about their loved ones stuck in countries overtaken by conflict. Hope they all return home unharmed,” he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee postponed all political activities scheduled for Sunday to honour the Iranian Supreme leader.
A spokesman of the PCC said the party strongly condemned the brutal air strikes on the Iranian Supreme leader, terming it an inhuman, barbaric and cowardly act on the part of US and Israel.
PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra led the rank and file of the party to express “profound grief and sorrow over this great loss”.
