Shia Muslims take part in a religious procession to mark Ashura, on the tenth day of the Islamic holy month of Muharram | Photo Credit: IMRAN NISSAR

Dressed in black and beating their chests in mourning, thousands of Shia Muslims on Friday took part in Muharram processions in Srinagar and other Shia-majority areas of the Kashmir Valley on the eve of the 10th of Muharram.

In Srinagar, hundreds of mourners assembled at Zadibal before taking out processions through the interior localities of the old city. Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala.

Black banners and mourning cloth adorned streets, alleyways and neighbourhoods across the city, while mourners recited elegies and rhythmically beat their chests as a mark of grief.

A mourner, Sajad Hussain, said the annual procession was a reminder of the values of sacrifice, justice and resistance against oppression associated with Imam Hussain.

“We participate every year to renew our commitment to those ideals and keep the message of Karbala alive,” he said.

Many participants carried portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and raised anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans during the processions in several localities. The processions passed off peacefully.

Authorities had tightened security across the city, deploying police and paramilitary personnel at key locations, while drones and CCTV cameras monitored the movement of the processions. Medical teams, drinking water facilities, sanitation services and emergency response units were also stationed along the procession routes, officials said.

Similar processions were held in parts of Budgam, Pulwama and Baramulla districts.

On Wednesday, ahead of the ninth day of Muharram, mourners took out the traditional boat procession on Dal Lake, reviving a centuries-old practice associated with the mourning period.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah joined the mourners at Zadibal.

Sinha joined the procession, paid tribute to Imam Hussain and his companions, and later offered a chaddar (ceremonial cloth) to the Zuljinah, the horse symbolically associated with Imam Hussain.

Abdullah also joined the mourners and distributed drinking water at a roadside stall set up to serve participants in the procession.

Published on June 26, 2026