Members of the Indian community based in Iran will attend the funeral procession of Major General Qassem Soleimani that will be held in Tehran on Monday morning, representatives of the group have said. The assassination of Maj. Gen. Soleimani in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad has cast a pall of gloom over Iran and the tense atmosphere has affected the Indian community who are mostly based in Tehran, Qom and Bandar Abbas.
“We are also sharing the grief of the Iranian people as they are in mourning following the murder of General Soleimani. The Iranians consider him a real hero and therefore there will be a very large crowd that will attend his funeral in Tehran tomorrow,” said Dr. N. A Soufi, an Indian commentator based in Tehran.
Mr. Soufi reflected the sentiment of the Iranians in emphasising that there is a strong possibility of Iran deciding the course of retaliation soon after the funeral of the General who led the clandestine Quds Force — a special wing of the Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) that has been instrumental in defeating the IS fighters in Iraq and Syria. “On Monday morning we are going to walk in the funeral procession which will be addressed by Ayatollah Khamenei. People here are united in grief and political differences have been forgotten in view of the assassination carried out in a third country,” said Dr. Soufi.
Watch | Who was Qasem Soleimani?
A leading Indian businessman based in the Iranian capital emphasised the need to appreciate the public status of Gen. Soleimani.
“He was hugely popular in Iran and there were often discussions that he could one day become a leading political figure. He was not only a military affairs and counter-terror specialist, he also rose to help whenever Iranians faced natural calamities like floods and earthquakes,” said the Indian businessman requesting anonymity.
The mortal remains of Gen. Soleimani reached Ahvaz city in Southwest Iran’s Khouzestan province where a large gathering paid their tributes. From Ahvaz, the remains will reach Tehran for the funeral service and flown to his home province of Kerman where he will be buried on Tuesday.
