Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were prevented from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada on Martyrs' Day, leaders alleged.
Omar Abdullah, vice president of the National Conference, expressed his frustration on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter while saying,"Another 13th July, Martyr's Day, another round of locked gates and police excesses to stop people from paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives to establish a just, fair, and democratic regime in J&K."
Another 13th July, Martyr’s Day, another round of locked gates & police excesses to stop people from paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives to establish a just, fair & democratic regime in J&K. Everywhere else in the country these people would have been celebrated but…
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 13, 2024
"Everywhere else in the country these people would have been celebrated, but in J&K the administration wants to ignore these sacrifices. This is the last year they will be able to do this. InshaAllah, next year we will mark 13th July with the solemnity and respect this day deserves," he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Peoples Democratic Party, also took to X. "The gates of my house have been locked up yet again to prevent me from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada - an enduring symbol of Kashmir’s resistance and resilience against authoritarianism, oppression, and injustice. The sacrifices of our martyrs are a testament that the spirit of Kashmiris cannot be crushed. Today even observing it in remembrance of the protesters martyred on this day has been criminalized."
She further said,"On August 5, 2019, J&K was dismembered, disempowered, and stripped of everything that was sacrosanct for us. They intend to erase each one of our collective memories. But such assaults will only strengthen our determination to continue the fight for our rights and dignity.
The gates of my house have been locked up yet again to prevent me from visiting Mazar e Shuhada - an enduring symbol of Kashmir’s resistance & resilience against authoritarianism, oppression & injustice. The sacrifices of our martyrs is a testament that the spirit of Kashmiri’s… pic.twitter.com/Q3cHoHyryp
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) July 13, 2024
Mehbooba also shared pictures of her gates locked and her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed paying homage to the martyrs of July 13, 1931.
Meanwhile, parties considered close allies of the BJP—the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference and the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party—were also barred from participating in the Martyrs' Day commemoration.
Sajad Lone, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference, claimed he was placed under house arrest. "For no reason, I was informed of being under house arrest. I really fail to understand what the administration gains by stopping people from going to the martyrs' graveyard. People have a right to choose their heroes, and the martyrs are heroes for the people of Kashmir," he posted on X, while adding, "Why be in denial, and why on earth would a non-resident government need to meddle in it? Believing that a government will decide who the historical heroes are is an unambiguous sign of despotism."
For no reason informed of being under house arrest. I really fail to understand what the administration gets in stopping people from going to the martyrs graveyard.
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) July 13, 2024
People have a right to choose their heroes. And the martyrs are heroes for the people of Kashmir.
Why be in a…
Lone, who was associated with the Hurriyat in the early 2000s, became the chairman of People's Conference in 2004 after the assassination of his father, Abdul Gani Lone.
Earlier in the day, Jammu and Kashmir police blocked Apni Party leaders from visiting the martyrs' graveyard at Naqashband Sahib, Srinagar, to honor the martyrs of July 13, 1931. The delegation, led by party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, was stopped by police as they left the party's Sheikh Bagh office in the city center. Despite being barred from reaching the graveyard, the leaders held Fateh prayers on the road outside their Sheikh Bagh office.
Until August 2019, July 13 was observed as a state holiday, commemorated with flowers and prayers at the graves. However, the Central government removed it from the list of state holidays, responding to objections from the Jammu division, where many regard the last autocratic ruler, Hari Singh, as a hero.
On July 13, 1931, at least 22 unarmed men were killed outside the Central Jail in Srinagar by state forces during a protest. The protest was sparked by the trial of Abdul Qadeer Khan, believed to be from the Swat region, now in Pakistan, who was accused of treason and incitement to violence after speaking out against the Dogra rulers in Srinagar's Jama Masjid.
