India opens pellet fire on Muslim procession for first time

Suhail, 18, was hospitalized after pellet fire struck his face. Photo by Basit Zargar.

SRINAGAR, Indian-administered Kashmir— Over the weekend Indian security forces fired iron pellets into a peaceful Muslim procession in Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between Pakistan and India where militant groups have pushed for self-rule for decades. Although pellet fire has been used to quell political protests, this is the first time the government has used the condemned use of pellet fire on the Muharram procession.

The Muharram procession is performed by Shia Muslims on the 8th and 10th day of the of Islamic month of Muharram to commemorate the killing of Imam Hussain, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad, and his family in the battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Shia Muslims commemorate the event by paying tribute to Hussain and his companions who were killed, reciting dirges in his honor and thumping their chests. Some also resort to self-flagellation in remembrance of Hussain. 

Muharram processions have been banned in Kashmir since the 90s after armed militancy erupted. Kashmir is the only Muslim-majority region in Hindu-majority India and has been under a government lockdown for a year after India stripped Kashmir of its semi-autonomous rule from the constitution. This year, India’s COVID-19 restrictions also prevent large gatherings, although the rules have been selectively enforced, allowing a Hindu pilgrimage in Kashmir this summer, for example.

On Saturday, security forces opened pellet fire on the crowd processing in Srinagar, the capital. The pellets are lead-coated iron balls that are fired in a burst, 400 to 500 at a time, through shotguns. They have often been used to quell protests, even though the use of pellet guns in Kashmir has been deplored by human rights bodies, including Amnesty International and the United Nations.

During the 2016 uprising triggered by the killing of a militant commander, dozens of people including women and children were blinded by pellets. But this is the first time that pellet guns have been used against the participants of a Muharram procession. 

One of the victims, 18-year-old Suhail, said the police fired pellets on the procession without warning.

“It was a peaceful procession,” he said.  Then, “I was hit with pellets and a rubber bullet in the face.”

Suhail said he fails to understand why the police used force against them as it was a religious procession and not a political one.

He said it for the first such brute force was used against the Muharram procession.

“This has happened for the first time that pellets were fired to disperse the procession,” he said.

The pictures of pellet victims went viral on social media, evoking sharp responses. Most were critical of the government while others said the mourners invited it on them for breaking the rules.

Tweeting a graphic photo of a pellet victim, Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar wrote, “HORRIFYING!!!!!! I’m speechless- this is inhuman.” 

BJP leader Kapil Mishra who had delivered a provocative speech amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) tweeted a photo of a pellet victim and wrote: “When you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.” 

The CAA aims to fast track citizenship of illegal migrants except Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. 

On Sunday, several more mourners were injured after police fired pellets on a procession at Zadibal in Srinagar. Police said 15 cops were injured and hospitalized by the mourners throwing stones.

Tanveer, 19, is a Shia mourner who was injured in a procession this weekend after police fired pellets in the outskirts of Srinagar. Photo by Basit Zargar.

Police said Moharram processions were performed at dozens of places and at some places “they resorted to stone pelting when they were asked that processions are not allowed in this COVID-19 pandemic. Most of such processions retracted peacefully.”

Despite a ban, Muharram processions have been taking place in Shia-dominated areas in Kashmir for years. This year the government acted tougher than usual, citing COVID-19 as a reason to restrict all gatherings.

An official statement said the Shia groups have extended their full support to the administration with assurance that no procession or any other outside gathering would be conducted. However, at many places in Kashmir, members from the Shia community defied government-imposed restrictions and came out on the roads chanting religious slogans that praise Imam Hussain. 

The administration said that some “anti-national” activists have tried to use the religious procession as a political protest, which has been viewed seriously and all such elements will be dealt with strictly under the law.

Imtiyaz Hussain, a resident of Bemina and an eye witness, said that this is for the first time he has seen police using pellets on mourners. 

“They used to fire tear smoke shells, resort to baton and cane charging, but this time they used pellets,” he said.

Kashmir acceded to India at the time of India’s independence in 1947 rather than merging with a Muslim Pakistan under a constitutional provision called Article 370 that allowed a semi-autonomous rule in Kashmir, which was revoked Aug. 5, 2019. On the same day, the Indian government demoted the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories—Jammu, and Kashmir and Ladakh. 

Nearly seven million people live in the Kashmir Valley, 97 percent of them Muslims. About 47,000 people have been killed in conflict, mainly between Indian security forces and Kashmiri militant separatists in the last three decades, according to government figures. In 90s, many Kashmiri Hindus fled for their lives and settled outside Kashmir in places like Jammu and Delhi.

The Supreme Court refused permission for Muharram processions in India, saying it would lead to chaos and “one particular community will be targeted” for spreading the coronavirus. Earlier the court had said that a Hindu pilgrimage in the eastern state of Orissa can be conducted but with restrictions.

The government earlier this month also opened the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage in the Trikuta hills in Jammu for the Hindu pilgrims after a gap of five months allowing 2,000 pilgrims a day to proceed.

The police insist that the government orders will be implemented and there is no reason for holding Muharram processions during the pandemic.

Zaffar Iqbal is a journalist based in Kashmir, India. He has reported for 18 years on armed encounters, environmental issues, crime, politics, culture and human rights. He’s formerly the bureau chief of Jammu and Kashmir for NDTV.

Basit Zargar is a photojournalist based in Srinagar.