Shia Muslims Across India Protest Killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei

Shia Muslims in several Indian cities took to the streets on Sunday to mourn and protest the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in joint US-Israel air strikes on Tehran on February 28 — alongside his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law.

The demonstrations, held across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu, ranged from candle marches to collective funeral prayers.

In Lucknow, members of the Shia community gathered at the Chhota Imambara to pay tribute to Khamenei. Shia cleric Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad addressed the gathering, declaring that the people of Iran would never bow down and that "Israel and America will be defeated."

At Aligarh Muslim University, students held a candle march and performed funeral prayers for Khamenei. Maulana Bahlol Raza told reporters that the protest was a message to the world that they would continue to raise their voices for the oppressed.

"Khamenei has been killed, but after him, thousands of Khameneis have been born today," Raza said.

In Ayodhya, members of the All India Shia community also held a candle march, demanding justice and expressing support for the late Iranian leader while calling for accountability for those responsible for the attack.

In Madhya Pradesh's Indore, community members carried portraits of Khamenei during their demonstration, chanting his name in tribute.

Protests were also held in Jammu, where community members expressed grief and anger over what they described as a treacherous killing.

"On one side, the talks were going on, and on the other side, they martyred him," Jawad said, adding that the killing would not end the war but escalate it further. "Earlier, two countries were fighting; now seven countries are being attacked."

Several opposition leaders also came forward to condemn Khamenei's killing. The Congress party "unequivocally" condemned what it called the "targeted assassination" of Iran's Supreme Leader, offering condolences to the people of Iran and the global Shia community.

Invoking Article 51 of the Constitution, the party stressed that India's foreign policy is anchored in peaceful dispute resolution and respect for international law.

"No external power has the authority to engineer regime change or dictate the leadership of another state. Such actions amount to imperialism," Congress said in its statement, adding that the conflict in West Asia ran contrary to India's commitment to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and Mahatma Gandhi's doctrine of non-violence.

Iran has declared 40 days of public mourning following Khamenei's death. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has pledged revenge, claiming it has launched attacks on 27 US military bases across West Asia as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv.

Ayatollah Khamenei, who succeeded Revolution founder Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, led Iran for over three decades and was a consistent and vocal opponent of Western influence in the region.

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