Police in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, intervened on Monday to prevent Congress leaders and workers from holding a protest march against the US-India trade deal and the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei. The Congress members had gathered at their headquarters but were halted by security forces from proceeding to Lal Chowk due to security reasons and to maintain order in the city.
The protest was aimed at denouncing the US-India trade pact and the reported killing of the Iranian Supreme Leader in air strikes allegedly conducted by the US and Israel on Tehran. Congress leaders involved in the demonstration accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of jeopardizing national interests through the trade agreement. They argued that the deal was detrimental to the country’s economic welfare and condemned the assassination of the Iranian leader.
Despite the demonstrators’ efforts, the police did not permit them to occupy the main road, which was operating normally with public and private transport. Meanwhile, normalcy returned to the Kashmir Valley as educational institutions, government offices, banks, markets, and public transport resumed operations after a week-long closure. The region had experienced widespread protests following the news of Ayatullah Ali Khamenei’s death in the air strikes, with restrictions imposed to prevent unrest and damage to public property.
