Pro-Hezbollah protests rocked several parts of Kashmir on Saturday after its chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike by the Israeli army in Beirut.

Thousands of Shia mourners, joined by some Sunnis, hit the streets in Srinagar and Budgam and chanted slogans such as “death to America and death to US” besides proclaiming their support for Nasrallah and Hezbollah.

Several leaders gave speeches condemning Israel for the killing and the US for backing the Jewish state. Hundreds of vehicles got stranded in traffic snarls caused by the protests.

Hundreds of policemen were deployed to prevent the protests from turning violent. They were seen escorting the protesters at Saida Kadal. The protests are expected to continue till late night in some places.

The government, which has shown zero tolerance for anti-Israel agitation during the 11-month-long Gaza war, appears to have relaxed the restrictions to allow mourners to vent their feelings given the sensitivity of Nasrallah’s death.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said she was suspending her election campaign scheduled for Sunday.

“Cancelling my campaign tomorrow in solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon & Gaza especially Hassan Nasrallah. We stand with the people of Palestine & Lebanon in this hour of immense grief & exemplary resistance,” Mufti posted on X.

Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, who is a Shia, announced on X that he was suspending his poll campaign.

The protests came on a day security forces killed two militants in a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Four security personnel have been injured.

South Kashmir deputy inspector-general Javid Iqbal Matto said DNA samples had been collected to identify the bodies although they had reports that the deceased were local militants Aqib and Umais.

Sources said their bodies were charred beyond recognition as the house they were hiding in had caught fire.