Thousands of Shia Muslim mourners took out a Muharram procession on Monday, following the traditional Guru Bazar-Dalgate route in Srinagar. This procession, marking the eighth day of mourning, resumed in 2023 after the J&K administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, lifted the ban. This year’s procession also passed peacefully with adequate security arrangements. The administration requested that participants refrain from anti-national or anti-establishment speeches or slogans.
Surrounding this, a claim has been widely shared where users are writing about arrests in the Kashmir processions for raising Palestinian flags. An X user named Current Report wrote,” 3 shia muslims were arrested in Kashmir, India for waving the Palestinian flag on the 8th Moharram procession.” This post garnered 26.4k views by the time we wrote the report.
Following this account, multiple other users also shared similar claims.
Fact Check
The DFRAC team investigated the viral claim. During the process, we found media reports in regard to the claim. According to media reports, J&K Police arrested 4 people on charges of waving flags of the Shiite outfit Hezbollah during the procession of Muharram in Srinagar. The flags of Palestine and slogans were raised during the procession. Around 2 pm, when the procession of nearly 10,000 to 15,000 people was crossing M.A. Road, there were flags of the Iran-backed Hezbollah for which the FIR was filed, citing concerns that these actions could incite unrest & disturb public order, police added.
Furthermore, reports informed that the FIR was filed under Sections 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at the Kothibagh Police station in Srinagar.
Conclusion
Thus, from the fact check it is evident that the viral claim is Misleading. The arrests took place for raising the flags of Hezbollah, not Palestine.
