Muharram Returns To Kashmir's Streets: A March Of Mourning, Resilience, And Revival

News18

17-07-2025

The 2025 Muharram procession in Kashmir was more than a march—it was a message. A message that fear can fade. That faith can find footing again
For the second consecutive year since 1989, the echoes of 'Ya Hussain" reverberated through the heart of Srinagar as tens of thousands of mourners peacefully participated in the 8th and 10th Muharram processions—events long banned during the violent years of Pakistan-backed insurgency in Kashmir. This wasn't just a religious congregation; it was a moment of historic reckoning. After 34 years, the street belonged again to the mourners, not the militants.
At the helm of this dramatic shift stood Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, whose administration decisively facilitated the restoration of these iconic processions. The L-G, who has been pivotal in reshaping Kashmir's post-Article 370 governance narrative, personally monitored preparations, security drills, and interfaith outreach meetings leading up to the event.
'This is about trust, constitutional rights, and the people's faith in the state. We have delivered on that promise," said Sinha in a press briefing.
The numbers speak volumes. More than 20,000 people marched in Srinagar alone on the 8th and 10th of Muharram, following the traditional route from Abi Guzar to Dalgate—a path that had been sealed for decades.
Across Jammu and Kashmir, over 40,000 participants were recorded in various processions. Not a single incident of violence was reported. Security arrangements were unprecedented. The state deployed 3,500+ personnel, installed 80+ CCTV cameras, used drones with facial recognition, and ensured real-time surveillance. Quick reaction teams were stationed every 300 metres.
Sanitation, lighting, and medical booths were operational across the route—something unimaginable during the earlier years of curfews and crackdowns. 'This is not just about allowing a procession," said Shia cleric Syed Rizwan Haider. 'It's about restoring a people's dignity and their right to mourn publicly after three decades of silence, fear, and forced erasure."
Years of Ban, Bullets, and Blood: 1990-2020
To understand the emotional weight of this year's Muharram procession, one must turn back to the dark decades of 1990 to 2020, when the valley bled daily, and faith was muffled under the boot of insurgency. In 1989, as Pakistan-sponsored militancy erupted, the J&K government imposed a ban on major religious processions, particularly the 8th and 10th of Muharram. Officials feared that such large gatherings could become easy targets for terrorists or turn into flashpoints for pro-Azadi, anti-India sloganeering.
That fear was not misplaced. By the mid-90s, terror groups like Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed had begun infiltrating even religious congregations, using them to propagate separatism or conceal movement. The state responded with hard crackdowns. In 1993, security forces opened fire on a Muharram gathering in Zadibal, killing nine people, an incident still etched in the communal psyche. Over the years, several such unauthorised processions ended in detentions, baton charges, or gunfire.
In 2010 and 2016, young mourners were arrested en masse for defying the ban. In Budgam, 202 participants were booked under Section 144 just for attempting to carry an alam (religious flag) on the 10th of Muharram.
Between 1990 and 2010 alone, over 13,000 civilians died in militancy-related violence, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP). The Valley saw more than 500 terror incidents annually, many concentrated in urban areas where Muharram processions traditionally passed. But despite the crackdown, the Shia community adapted with quiet resilience. They mourned in back lanes, organised majalis (gatherings) indoors, and passed on the ritualistic heritage behind closed doors. From Kargil to Baramulla, the procession became less about public spectacle and more about personal defiance.
'The ban never killed our spirit," said 70-year-old Hajji Abbas of Rainawari. 'It only made our grief deeper. It made our faith private and more political at the same time."
Reconciliation, Strategy, and the Politics of Peace
So, what changed in 2025? Is the return of the Muharram procession a genuine act of reconciliation—or a calculated move to craft an image of normalcy in post-militancy Kashmir? The answer, while complex, leans towards transformation rather than mere tokenism. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, the security landscape in the Valley has undergone a dramatic shift. Militancy has declined sharply, creating the space—both psychological and logistical—for such public expressions of faith to re-emerge.
According to recent reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs, terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir fell by an astonishing 85 per cent between 2019 and 2024. Civilian casualties dropped from 78 in 2019 to just six in 2024. The number of active local militants, once over 230 in 2018, is now fewer than 35. Cross-border infiltration attempts, long a hallmark of Pakistan's proxy war, have plummeted by 92 per cent.
These aren't just statistics; they're indicators of a deeply recalibrated threat matrix—one that gives the state an opportunity to reimagine its relationship with civil society. 'This was a litmus test," said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity. 'If we could conduct Muharram processions without a single untoward incident, it validates our counter-insurgency strategy and also builds trust with the community." Indeed, for security agencies and policymakers, this year's peaceful procession is both an operational success and a political signal: Kashmir is stable enough to allow long-banned, emotionally charged public gatherings. But not everyone is convinced of the state's altruism.
Critics argue that the revival of these processions is more curated than organic. With the first Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections in the post-370 era expected later this year, sceptics see the timing as politically calculated. 'The procession is welcome, but let's not pretend this isn't about optics," said a political analyst from Kashmir University. 'It's about Delhi showing the world that Kashmir is 'normal' again." Yet, beyond the political choreography, the ground reality told a different, more hopeful story.
For the first time in decades, Sunnis, Sikhs, and even Kashmiri Pandits were seen voluntarily participating—distributing water, food, and medical aid along the route. Social media was flooded with powerful images of interfaith solidarity, often captioned with lines like, 'Karbala unites where politics divides." The communal spirit was authentic, spontaneous, and deeply emotional. Symbolism in Kashmir has always carried weight. And this year, it mattered that the state didn't just allow the narrative of Muharram to unfold—it actively enabled and amplified it. The lieutenant governor's office wasn't a passive observer; it orchestrated logistics, ensured security, and even promoted the event's peaceful conduct as a hallmark of a 'new Kashmir".
This is governance used as message, not just mechanism. Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, one of India's most respected voices on Kashmir, summed it up with military precision: 'In conflict zones, perception is firepower. When people march and soldiers guard—not clash—it's psychological warfare won by the state." That perception, this time, was of a Kashmir walking not in protest or panic, but in unity, memory, and peace.
The Road Ahead
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The 2025 Muharram procession in Kashmir was more than a march—it was a message. A message that fear can fade. That faith can find footing again. That a valley once silenced by gunfire can now echo with elegy and unity. Yes, questions linger. Will this be an annual norm or a one-off exception? Can this public expression coexist with political dissent? Will the trust extended to the people this year survive the election cycles and policy shifts? But for now, what matters is this: the 8th and 10th of Muharram are no longer banned days on a government calendar. They are once again sacred dates etched on the streets of Srinagar—with blood, with belief, and now, with state support. In Karbala, Imam Hussain chose principle over survival. In Kashmir, his mourners finally walked again—not in defiance, but in dignity.
Tehmeena Rizvi is a Policy Analyst and PhD scholar at Bennett University. Her areas of work include Women, Peace, and Security (South Asia), focusing on the intersection of gender, conflict, and religion, with a research emphasis on the Kashmir region, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not reflect News18's views.
tags :
Article 370 Kashmir Muharram terror
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Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
July 17, 2025, 16:12 IST
News opinion Opinion | Muharram Returns To Kashmir's Streets: A March Of Mourning, Resilience, And Revival
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