Ahead of Id, NC seeks release of Kashmiris booked under UAPA for protesting Khamenei killing

Scores of youths in Kashmir, who allegedly participated in rallies protesting the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, have been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). At a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday (March 15, 2026), a delegation of legislators from the ruling National Conference (NC) demanded the withdrawal of such cases before Id.

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According to the NC, cases have been booked under provisions of the UAPA and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the police stations of Zadibal, Rainawari, Shalteng, Habba Kadal, and Lalbazar in Srinagar; Chattargam and Budgam in Budgam district; Pattan in Baramulla district; and Sumbal in Bandipora district. In the Nowgam police station in Srinagar alone, 21 youths from Khanda, Sathoo Klan, and Chattergam were booked under Section 13 of the UAPA and Section 109, 190, 191 (3) and 121 (1) of the BNS.

‘Mourning gatherings’

“FIRs have been registered, including the invocation of provisions under the UAPA, a stringent law whose application against mourners sets a deeply concerning precedent,” said the memorandum jointly filed by the NC legislators, including Tanvir Sadiq, Ali Mohammad Dar, Shameema Firdous, Reyaz Bedar and Hilal Akbar Lone. “We demand a halt to any further arrests or punitive measures targeting individuals for their participation in these mourning gatherings,” it said.

L-G Sinha heard the demands and “promised to review these cases,” the legislators said. “There are many who are students. The L-G has assured to review the cases ahead of Id and ensure their release. We are hopeful these cases will be withdrawn,” Mr. Sadiq told The Hindu.  

‘Religious loss’

After Khamenei’s killing, hundreds of local residents attended anti-U.S. and anti-Israel rallies in Kashmir. “Ayatollah Khamenei was not merely a head of state. For a significant section of Kashmiri Muslims, he was a revered religious and spiritual leader, a Marja (source of emulation), and a figure of profound theological authority. His passing was therefore experienced not as a geopolitical development but as a moment of deep personal and religious loss,” the NC memorandum read.

It said that despite the peaceful and religious nature of these gatherings, the administrative response “has been disproportionate and may prove counterproductive”.

The NC’s memorandum noted that mourning gatherings for the slain Khamenei had been held in Lucknow, Kargil, New Delhi, Mumbai, and several other cities across India without any legal action being taken against participants.

“It is therefore both inconsistent and unjust that citizens in Jammu & Kashmir alone face criminal prosecution for expressing the same grief. Such disparity undermines the constitutional promise of equal citizenship and equal protection under the law,” the NC leaders said.