Samajwadi Party condemns attack on Khamenei, Israeli-American strike on Iran school: Akhilesh

Lucknow, Mar 4 (PTI) The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday condemned the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and what it described as “one of the deadliest Israeli-American strikes” on a school in Meenab that reportedly killed 165 people, mostly students.

In a post on X, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the party strongly denounced both incidents and expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families.

“The Samajwadi Party strongly condemns both the attack on Ayatollah Khamenei and one of the deadliest Israeli-American attacks on a school in Meenab, in which 165 schoolgirls were killed," Yadav said.

“The Geneva Conventions and international law, established to protect human lives even in times of conflict, are gravely endangered by such acts. We pay homage to their martyrdom and, grieving this loss, extend our deepest condolences to all those who are bereaved and in mourning," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

Iranian state media has reported that a girls' school in southern Iran’s Meenab was hit in an airstrike on Saturday, killing at least 165 people and wounding dozens more.

The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area, while the US military said it was looking into the reports.

Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was killed in joint air strikes by the US and Israel early Saturday, sparking protests and mourning by the Shia sect of Muslims in many parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar and Raebareli.

On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai visited the Shia-dominated localities of old Lucknow to pay tribute to the "martyrdom" of Khamenei, and met senior Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad.

Conveying his solidarity with the Shia community, Rai slammed the Narendra Modi government for its "silence" on the issue, terming it "deeply shameful".

"This silence not only points towards the moral decline of the present government but also raises questions on our civilisation, which has always worked to spread light across the world," a party statement quoted Rai as saying. PTI KIS ARI