Srinagar, July 4 : As a symbolic gesture of goodwill and solidarity, senior civil administration and police officers on Friday joined the 8th Muharram procession in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city.

The 8th Muharram procession is the biggest assembly of Shia Muslim mourners before the 10th Muharram to commemorate the martyrdom of the Prophet's grandson, Imam Hussain, in Karbala on the banks of the Euphrates in Iraq by the army of King Yazid in 680 AD.

Euphrates has a historic and significant role in Islam as the army of Yazid did not allow drinking water to Imam Hussain, his family members, even the 6-month-old baby, Ali Asghar and women during their siege in Karbala.

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar, and the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his companions is one of the darkest periods of persecution and torture of the descendants of the Prophet.

The mourning of Muharram is remembered by chest beating and processions by Shia Muslims, while the mourning is common and equally commemorative for the Sunni Muslims the world over.

To show solidarity and unity with the mourners during the procession, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir V.K. Birdi, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Akshay Labroo, and SSP Srinagar Sundeep Chakarvourti joined the 8th Muharram procession at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, where they served water to the mourners under the scorching sun.

The Divisional Commissioner said that all arrangements, ranging from drinking water and medical aid to security and traffic regulation, were put in place well ahead of the religious event to ensure a smooth and safe procession.

'We request all mourners to remain focused on the true purpose of the procession and refrain from altering its nature in any way', the Divisional Commissioner said, urging people to maintain the religious spirit and decorum of the event.

IGP Kashmir Birdi said that all the security arrangements were put in place to ensure that the 8th Muharram procession passes off smoothly.

Asked about the 10th Muharram procession, the IGP said, "Administration is talking to the organisers in all the places where 10th Muharram processions are taken out so that these religious events are facilitated.'

Mourners joining the procession said that for the third year now, the authorities are allowing the 8th Muharram procession after making good arrangements.

Since 1990, when armed violence started in Kashmir, authorities had disallowed both the 8th and 10th Muharram processions to maintain law and order.

It was in 2022 that the administration headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha allowed the resumption of this religious event.

Since then, the 8th Muharram procession has been taken out peacefully, with thousands of mourners participating along the designated route in Srinagar city.

/IANS