What Happened
- Following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — Supreme Leader of Iran — in US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2026, Shia Muslim communities across India organised protests and mourning gatherings.
- The All India Shia Personal Law Board organised a protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, with participants raising slogans against the US and Israel and carrying portraits of Khamenei.
- Protests erupted across multiple cities and states: Srinagar (outside the UNMOGIP headquarters), Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru (Chikkamagaluru), Jammu, and multiple locations in Telangana.
- In Jammu and Kashmir, protesters carried black flags, portraits of Khamenei, and banners supporting Iran; traditional mourning chants (Nauha) were heard in Srinagar's streets.
- Security forces were placed on high alert in Kashmir and Lucknow — two centres of India's Shia Muslim population — amid concerns about potential escalation.
Static Topic Bridges
India's Shia Muslim Community: Geography and Religious Identity
India hosts the world's second-largest Shia Muslim population — a community whose religious identity is transnational in character and whose centres of learning and devotion have historically been connected to Iran and Iraq.
- India's Shia population: estimated 15-20% of India's total Muslim population (approximately 30-40 million)
- Major Shia centres: Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) — historically the "Shia capital" of India; Hyderabad; parts of Jammu & Kashmir; Mumbai; parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan
- Lucknow's Imambaras (notably the Bara Imambara, 1784) are among the most iconic Shia religious structures in the world; the city hosts major Muharram processions annually
- Jammu & Kashmir has a distinct Shia concentration, particularly in Kargil district (Ladakh) where Shias are the majority community
- India's Shia community maintains active educational and pilgrimage ties with Iranian holy cities — especially Mashhad and Qom
Connection to this news: The protests at Jantar Mantar and across India were not spontaneous — they reflected the transnational religious solidarity of India's Shia community with Khamenei, who served as the Supreme Jurisprudent (Wali al-Faqih) of Shia Islam for over three decades. For Indian Shias, his death carried deep religious significance beyond geopolitics.
Shia-Sunni Divide: Significance for India's Internal Security
The Shia-Sunni divide within Islam is the most significant sectarian fault line in the religion and has implications for India's internal security landscape.
- The Shia-Sunni split originated in the 7th century CE over the question of succession to Prophet Muhammad; Shias believe Ali and his descendants (Imams) were the rightful successors
- Globally, Sunnis constitute approximately 85-90% of Muslims; Shias comprise 10-15%, concentrated in Iran (majority), Iraq (majority), Lebanon, Bahrain, and pockets of other countries
- India's Muslim population is predominantly Sunni (approximately 80-85%); the Shia minority forms a distinct community with different jurisprudence, rituals, and religious authorities
- Muharram commemorations — particularly Ashura — are observed across India; in some locations, historical Shia-Sunni tensions over procession routes have led to communal incidents
- India's internal security forces monitor sectarian tensions, particularly in Lucknow, Hyderabad, and parts of J&K, where Shia and Sunni communities have historically had proximity and occasional friction
Connection to this news: The protests after Khamenei's death were largely Shia Muslim gatherings — Sunni Muslim organisations did not prominently participate. This sectarian dimension is important for India's internal security assessment: the conflict in West Asia risked activating Shia-Sunni fault lines within India's Muslim community.
Jantar Mantar as a Protest Space: Constitutional and Legal Context
The selection of Jantar Mantar (New Delhi) as the venue for the protest reflects the institutionalised geography of public dissent in India's capital.
- Jantar Mantar Road (near Connaught Place, New Delhi) has been the designated protest site in Delhi since the 1990s; it serves as the primary legal space for public demonstrations near Parliament
- The right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed under Article 19(1)(b) of the Indian Constitution, subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(3) — which allows restrictions in the interest of public order, sovereignty, and integrity of India
- The Delhi Police (under Home Ministry jurisdiction) regulates protests at Jantar Mantar through permit requirements and Section 144 CrPC powers when necessary
- Post-2018, protests at Jantar Mantar are subject to a Supreme Court-mandated ban on loudspeakers and a cap on gathering size to prevent public nuisance
- Foreign policy-related protests at Jantar Mantar (targeting foreign governments) are constitutionally protected as long as they do not incite violence or threaten public order
Connection to this news: The protest at Jantar Mantar was constitutionally protected political expression by Indian citizens reacting to an international event. The challenge for the state was balancing the right to peaceful protest against any risk of disorder, given the heightened emotions around Khamenei's death and the ongoing conflict.
Wilayat al-Faqih: The Doctrine That Made Khamenei Globally Significant
Understanding why Shia Muslims worldwide — including in India — reacted with such intensity to Khamenei's death requires understanding the doctrine of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist).
- Wilayat al-Faqih is the political-theological doctrine articulated by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to justify clerical rule in post-1979 Iran
- The doctrine holds that in the absence of the Hidden Imam (the 12th Imam, believed by Shias to be in occultation), a qualified Islamic jurist should exercise political and religious authority over the Muslim community
- Khamenei served as Supreme Leader (Wali al-Faqih) of Iran from 1989 until his death — a 37-year tenure during which he was the highest religious authority for a significant portion of the Shia world
- Not all Shia Muslim scholars accept Wilayat al-Faqih — the Najaf seminary in Iraq (Grand Ayatollah Sistani's school) holds a quietist position, arguing clerics should not directly govern
- In India, Shia communities that followed Khamenei's jurisprudence (known as muqallids — "followers" of a marja) experienced his death as the loss of their supreme religious guide
Connection to this news: For Indian Shias who accepted Khamenei as their marja (source of emulation), his death was not merely a geopolitical event — it was a profound religious moment requiring public mourning. The protests were thus simultaneously a political statement against US-Israeli strikes and an expression of Shia religious grief.
Key Facts & Data
- India's Shia Muslim population: approximately 30-40 million (15-20% of India's Muslim population)
- Protest locations in India: Delhi (Jantar Mantar), Srinagar, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jammu, Telangana (multiple locations), Budgam
- Khamenei's tenure as Supreme Leader: 1989-2026 (37 years)
- Article 19(1)(b): Right to peaceful assembly (subject to Article 19(3) restrictions)
- Bara Imambara, Lucknow (1784): One of India's most iconic Shia religious monuments
- Wilayat al-Faqih: Doctrine of clerical governance articulated by Khomeini (1970), implemented after 1979 Revolution
- Shia majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Bahrain; large minorities in Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India