Shia Muslims held a mourning procession in Srinagar in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Friday, chanting non secular slogans. Police attacked the mourners and arrested an unspecified variety of them.
Yearly, throughout the month of Muharram, Muslims from world wide maintain non secular mourning ceremonies for the third Shia imam, who was martyred within the desert of Karbala in 680 AD.
Reviews say authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir imposed restrictions in some elements of Srinagar, fearing non secular processions marking Muharram would flip into anti-India demonstrations.
Tensions are excessive within the Indian-controlled area, the place the Muslim-majority inhabitants levels common protests towards the Indian rule and calls for autonomy from New Delhi.
India often accuses Pakistan of arming and coaching militants and permitting them throughout the restive frontier in an try to launch assaults on Indian forces. Pakistan strongly denies the allegations.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan however claimed in full by each for the reason that two had been partitioned and gained independence from Britain in 1947. The 2 nations have fought three wars over the disputed territory. Regardless of a ceasefire settlement that was reached in November 2003, sporadic skirmishes proceed in Kashmir.
New Delhi has deployed some 500,000 troopers to the disputed area to additional enhance the safety of the borderline and implement a crackdown on pro-independence demonstrations in its share of Kashmir, the place anti-India sentiments are excessive.
