Video footage from the Assembly showed NC legislators chanting slogans and holding portraits of Khamenei inside the House, prompting police to intervene as tensions escalated. BJP MLAs countered the protest, resulting in a scuffle between Congress MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone and BJP MLA Yudvir Sethi. Assembly proceedings were briefly adjourned to restore order.
The protest was led by NC leaders expressing solidarity with Iran. Party MLA Tanvir Sadiq stated, “We are standing in solidarity with Iran. The entire National Conference and the government of J&K are standing with them. No country has the right to attack another, and India’s top leadership should condemn this.” He emphasized the party’s support for the people of Iran in the wake of Khamenei’s killing.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the ongoing conflict in West Asia, asserting that regime change cannot be achieved through military bombardment. “The only people who get to choose their regime are the citizens of that country. Regime change cannot be effected by aerial bombardment,” Abdullah said, describing Khamenei’s killing as a “gross misuse of force and violation of international law.”
Tensions in the region escalated following joint US-Israel military strikes on Iran on February 28, which killed Khamenei along with several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic. In retaliation, Iran launched missile strikes on US bases in Gulf countries and Israel, further heightening instability in the region.
