Old Kashmir Protesters-Police Clash Video Resurfaces Post Muharram
The incident had taken place in 2018 and the video was originally posted by the news agency Associated Press.
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CLAIM
A few days after Muharram processions were carried out across the country, a purported video of clashes between security forces and protesters during the processions has emerged on social media.
Facebook pages named Save Kashmir, Todays World and a fake profile in the name of Asaduddin Owaisi carried the video with thousands of views and re-shares.
The caption along with the video reads: “Muharram procession was carried out this way in Kashmir”. This comes in the backdrop of tensions in the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370 which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
“कश्मीर में मोहर्रम कुछ इस तरह मनाया गया😭😭😭Kashmir Me Muharram Kuch Is Tarah Se Manaya gaya..😭😭😭 #savekashmir كشمير مي محرم كوتش هل تارا سي منايا غايا ..”
The archived version of the post can be found here.
In the viral video, a protester is heard saying in Hindi, “Indian forces are not letting us move ahead. We appeal to the government. Why are they doing this with us? Are we doing anything wrong?”
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
It's an old video from a 2018 Muharram procession where, according to the news agency AP, the police fired tear gas to disperse mourners in Kashmir after they defied security restrictions and participated in the procession.
WHAT IS THE TRUTH
Since the circulated video has the logo of news agency “AP” (Associated Press), we searched for the video on YouTube with the key words “police Kashmir Muharram protest AP” and found the same video on ‘AP Archive’ YouTube channel.
According to the caption along the video, the police had fired tear gas to disperse Shia Muslim mourners after they participated in a Muharram procession and defied security restrictions.
The incident took place on 19 September 2018 and this two minute long video was published on the social media platform on 24 September that year.
A report of the incident was also published by AP. The report said clashes erupted when police attempted to stop groups of Muslims who tried to break the curfew and hold processions at several places in the city.
DID THE VALLEY SEE MUHARRAM PROCESSIONS THIS YEAR?
Authorities on 6 September this year, had imposed a blanket ban on all Muharram processions across the Kashmir Valley, with restrictions on movement and assembly of the mourners of the tragedy of Karbala, in the Shia-dominated areas.
However, notwithstanding the ban, two Ashura processions were seen in Budgam and Srinagar districts, on the tenth day of Muharram on 10 September.
Deputy Commissioner of Budgam, Tariq Hussain Ganai, told The Quint that after reassessing the situation, the district’s largest Ashura procession, with Zuljanah, Alam and Tazia, was allowed on its traditional route from Imambargah of Mirgund, to the historic Imambargah of Budgam. Over 10,000 Shia Muslim mourners had participated in the procession, he said.
Residents claimed, over the telephone, that over 20,000 mourners had participated in the Ashura procession from Mirgund to Budgam. They said that normally five major processions had been drawn up every year on the tenth day of Muharram in Budgam district.
Those who were part of this procession claimed that “Pro-Azadi slogans were shouted all through the procession from Imambargah Mirgund to Imambargah Budgam”.
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz reporting for The Quint quoted the middle-rung officials saying that the Ashura procession in Srinagar, which was not permitted on the main streets, passed through narrow lanes of Gazidori, Doonipora and Khushaal Sar, close to the historic Imambargah of Zadibal.
Half-a-mile away, over a hundred mourners gathered on the main street at Alamgari Bazar in the afternoon. However, police and paramilitary forces dispersed them while firing teargas canisters. Residents said that dozens of gunshots were also fired in the air.
After the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, tensions in the Valley have continued since 5 August.
After almost a month of communication blackout, the landlines services were recently restored in the area.
Catch all the updates on Kashmir here.
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