Following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, protests have broken out in several parts of India. Demonstrators took to the streets in Lucknow, and Barabanki to condemn the joint US-Israel military strikes.
Participants expressed deep anger toward the US and Israel, carrying banners, raising slogans, and holding prayer vigils.
Protests in Lucknow
The Shia community in Lucknow expressed profound grief and condemned the assassination. Following the All India Shia Personal Law Board's announcement of three days of mourning, religious leader Maulana Yasoob Abbas issued an appeal for the community to wear black clothing in protest.
In solidarity, demonstrators hoisted black flags on their homes and gathered to recite Fatiha (prayers for the deceased). The impact was felt across the city’s commerce as well; major markets remained shut on Sunday, and typically bustling areas like Dargah-Hazrat Abbas Road were deserted as traders joined the rallies.
In Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, scenes of mourning were equally intense. Residents held prayer meetings for the people of Iran and expressed concern over the escalating regional conflict. Villagers in Kintoor remarked that their primary concern now is the safety of both Indian and Iranian citizens caught in the crossfire.
The Historical Connection to Barabanki
The district of Barabanki, specifically the village of Kintoor, holds a unique place in the history of the Islamic Republic. It is the ancestral home of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
While the recently deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei succeeded him in 1989, the roots of the "Khomeini" lineage are firmly planted in this Awadhi region. According to local historians and family experts like Syed Nihal Ahmad Kazmi, the family’s ancestors migrated from Kintoor to the Iranian city of Nishapur.
Around 1830, a family member named Ahmad Mousavi Hindi moved to the Iranian city of Khomein after a pilgrimage to Karbala. The family eventually adopted the name "Khomeini" after the city, but they continued to use the suffix "Hindi" as a mark of their Indian origins. Although Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not share this direct Indian lineage, his leadership for over three decades was seen as a continuation of the revolutionary path started by the man from Kintoor.