Uttar Pradesh: Barabanki’s Kintur village with links to Khamenei foregoes Eid festivities to mourn his death

While the rest of North India celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday, the Shia community in Kintur village, located in the Badosarai area of Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, remained in mourning. The residents chose to abstain from traditional festivities this year to honor the memory of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes on March 1, reported news agency PTI.

A heavy atmosphere of grief has settled over the village, fueled by the deep ancestral ties the community shares with the late Iranian cleric.

According to PTI, Sarwar Ali, the caretaker of the 19th-century Waqf Nawab Amjad Ali Khan Imambara, noted that locals gathered on Eid-ul-Fitr not to celebrate, but to denounce the joint military operations against Iran. He described the actions as "unjust" while participants raised slogans against Israel.

"Shia families observed no festivities this year. They did not prepare 'sewaiyaan' (sweet vermicelli) at home or embrace each other; they only offered the congregational prayers. A protest demonstration was carried out peacefully," he said.

Dr. Rehan Kazmi, a local resident, confirmed the somber mood following Khamenei's death. According to community members, Kintur holds a historical connection to Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, the mentor of the late Khamenei. It is believed that a forefather of Khomeini — the founder of the Islamic Republic — migrated from this very village to Iran roughly 150 years ago.

Despite the passage of time, villagers maintain that this lineage remains emotionally significant.

Syed Nihal Ahmad Kazmi, a self-identified descendant, previously explained that Kintur was the birthplace of Khomeini's grandfather, Syed Ahmad Musavi. Musavi, a freedom fighter against British rule, moved to Iran in 1834 after being barred from returning to India following a pilgrimage. He eventually settled in the city of Khomein, where his grandson was born. Residents added that Khamenei, as a devoted disciple, had spent decades upholding Khomeini's legacy, reported PTI.

According to an earlier PTI report, following the reports of killing people gathered in Kintur and nearby areas, organising prayers and condolence meetings on March 1.

Recitations and majlis were held at several places for the departed soul, residents had said.

Middle East war: Latest developments

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Lebanon's capital Beirut early Saturday targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, after urging residents of several areas to evacuate.

Earlier, Lebanese state media said an Israeli airstrike hit a house in a southern town, killing one person and wounding two others.

The Saudi defence ministry said it had intercepted 22 drones overnight in the country's east.