Political Leaders Barred from Paying Tribute to Revered Martyrs of 1931 Agitation

Srinagar: The authorities on Thursday barred political leadership in the region from visiting the Mazar e Shuhada or the Martyr’s graveyard in Srinagar where 22 civilians who were killed by Dogra forces during a firing incident on July 13, 1931, are buried.

The political parties including the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said that the police authorities have restricted several party members including former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from paying tribute to the civilians revered across Kashmir.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said that he was refused security vehicles and personal cover following which he chose to walk from his Gupkar residence to his party office. He was scheduled to address the party workers who had gathered there to pay their tributes to the 1931 martyrs. Abdullah added that other party leaders including party general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar and Ali Mohammad Dar.

“I was forced to walk to the office because they stopped all my vehicles and did not allow my security to follow me. They wanted to restrict me so that I would not be able to pay tribute to the martyrs,” Abdullah told reporters at his party office. 

Abdullah added that there is an attempt to rewrite the history in the country which is also being attempted in Jammu and Kashmir. “There is an attempt to distort the history in India; why would they not try to distort the history of Jammu and Kashmir? The entire textbooks are changed, the entire chapters are being deleted,” Abdullah said.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti claimed that she was put under house arrest restricting her to attend the ceremonial prayers for the martyrs of July 13. In a tweet, Mufti lashed out at the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) led government adding that its heroes like V D Savarkar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, M S Golwalkar, and Nathuram Godse cannot be forced on the people.

“I am under house arrest for wanting to visit Martyr’s graveyard today. This is at a time when GOI (Government of India) has used its tall claims of normalcy in the Supreme Court to justify an act of betrayal-the illegal abrogation of Article 370.  BJPs own heroes Vir Savarkar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Gowalkar. and Godse who spread hatred and division can’t be forced on us. For us, those who sacrificed their lives for democracy to take root in J&K will always be admired for their act of courage. We won’t allow you to distort our history or forget our heroes. On the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, I salute their courage for valiantly fighting against despots to the end,” she tweeted.

The authorities had increased security vigil in and around Downtown Srinagar and barred entry inside the shrine of Khwaja Naqushband where the graveyard is situated. All political parties, however, paid homage to the civilians stating that their “sacrifice will always be remembered”.

The J&K People’s Conference leader Khurshid Alam termed it “unfortunate” that he along with other leaders from the party were unjustly detained and denied the opportunity to lead a peaceful gathering of the party leaders and workers to offer prayers and pay tributes to the martyrs at Mazar e Shuhada.

“This restriction on our peaceful assembly is deeply concerning and infringes upon our right to commemorate the martyrs. Despite this setback, our determination remains unwavering. We shall continue to honour and remember the martyrs in our hearts and work towards achieving their vision of a just and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir,” Alam was quoted as saying.

The anniversary, known as the Martyrs' Day of 13 July, has been observed annually for seven decades as it was declared an official holiday by successive governments in the erstwhile state. It was, however, omitted from the annual list of holidays in 2020, a year after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

“This day was the watershed moment in the contemporary history of J&K, when 22 Kashmiris were killed in cold blood by the rulers of the day leading to the launch of a political agitation by the people of Kashmir for their empowerment through the realisation of their political rights and aspirations,” Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Awami Action Committee said in a statement.