Was Ayatollah Khamenei Indian? This village in India is linked to Iran's Supreme Leader

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death sparked protest in India. But these protest also highlight the less known link of Iran’s revolutionary leadership to Indian roots.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, died on Saturday in US-Israel coordinated ‘preemptive’ strikes, ‘Operation Epic Fury’ and ‘Operation Lion’s Roar’.

While very few people know of Iran’s Ayatollah’s India connection. Ali Khamenei had an indirect but notable connection to India through his mentor and predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

While Ali Khamenei himself had no personal or ancestral roots in India, Khomeini's family origins trace directly to Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki, linking Iran's revolutionary leadership to Indian soil.

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Khomeini's paternal grandfather, Seyyed Ahmad Musavi Hindi, hailed from Kintoor village in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.

Born in India during the 19th century under British rule, Musavi migrated to Najaf in Iraq and later to Iran around 1830.

There, he adopted the name "Hindi" to reflect his Indian origins, establishing a Shia clerical lineage that later produced Khomeini.

Ali Khamenei studied under Khomeini and rose as his close ally, becoming Supreme Leader in 1989 after Khomeini's death.

This mentorship forged Khamenei's ideological bond to Khomeini's Indian-rooted family, influencing Iran's post-revolution stance.

Massive protests erupted in several regions in India following Ali Khamenei’s death in US-Israel airstrikes. People gathered in large numbers in J&K mourning Iran’s Supreme leader’s death.

Members of the Shia community in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday staged a massive protest outside the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) headquarters in Srinagar following the news of the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israel-led strikes.

The protests were peaceful, with participants carrying pictures of Khamenei and banners supporting Iran. Black flags, portraits of the Ayatollah, and traditional mourning chants (Nauha) were witnessed on the streets of Srinagar.

Protests were also held in Bandipore and Ramban today. Protesters in Ramban raised slogans "Tum kitne Hosseini maroge...har ghar se Hosseini niklega (How many Hosseini will you kill, from every home, a Hosseini will rise." They also burnt an effigy of US President Donald Trump during demonstrations.

In Bandipore, protesters carried portraits of the late cleric, expressing grief and condemnation over the incident. Earlier similar protest was carried out in Budgam and Srinagar over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader.

Protesters raised anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, expressing solidarity with Iran and condemning the attack.

The wave of protests and mourning reflected the deep religious and political resonance of Khamenei's leadership among Shia communities worldwide.