Srinagar: With restrictions imposed by the district administration and COVID-19 lockdown in place, Kashmir's martyrs' graveyard or the Mazar-e-Shohada in Srinagar's Shehr-e-Khaas on Monday bore a deserted look. Till last year, July 13, was observed as martyrs day in Jammu and Kashmir where floral tributes were paid to the Kashmiris who protested against the 'autocratic' rule of the Dogra kingdom.
Leaders from both mainstream and separatist camps along with district administration used to pay tributes to the martyrs of 1931 but this year roads were sealed with barricades and concertina wire to restrict the movement of the people.
According to the officials, the mainstream leaders had approached them for the visit but owing to pandemic the permission was not granted.
"Several politicians from local political parties, including National Conference (NC) and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), had approached district administration for visiting Mazar-e-Shohada but the permission was not granted as the area falls under COVID-19 containment Zone," a senior official of the district administration said, adding, "Also, there is no government holiday on Monday and as such, there is no function planned for the day."
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Interestingly, the separatist leaders are either lodged in jails or under house arrest.
The official said, "No one from the separatist camp approached us or asked for permission for the visit. People are booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for their involvement in anti-India activities."
Following the abrogation of Article 370 and downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories (UTs), the central government omitted Martyrs' Day (July 13) and Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary (December 5) from the list of official holidays for the year 2020. The decision enraged several local politicians who demanded its review, arguing that the role of Sheikh Abdullah in 'democratic awakening' of his people and the sacrifice of Kashmiris on July 13, 1931, can not be undermined.
After becoming the first Prime Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah had declared July 13 as an official holiday to remember those who stood against the "autocratic" Dogra ruler and sacrificed their lives on July 13, 1931.
In the protest against the then Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, twenty-two people were killed.
J&K political parties unite for tribute to martyrs while BJP skips
Despite not being allowed to physically visit the Mazar-e-Shohada and pay floral tributes to the martyrs of 13 July 1931, the local political parties released statements for the same. BJP, however, decided to ignore the day.
The National Conference called it a day of 'emblematic importance' for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as it marks the launch of widespread people's agitation for the restoration of their due human rights.
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"The brave men who laid their lives on the 13th of July 1931 belonged to a generation of wisdom, and vision. It was them who saw in darkness and despair a vision for the forthcoming generations, they envisioned a society free from bondage, discrimination and oppression," said Farooq Abdullah while paying tribute to the martyrs on Sunday.
He said, "The idea behind remembering them is not merely an act of reminiscing past, memorialising, there is more to it, on this day we galvanize our lives with their mission as was done by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah all through his life."
Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP) also did not shy from paying digital tribute to the martyrs, stating that their role in Jammu and Kashmir’s freedom struggle can neither be undone nor can be forgotten.
"The memory of 13th July martyrs cannot be erased by changing the government calendar of holidays as they will live forever in the hearts and memories of every freedom-loving Democrat," the PDP spokesperson said in a statement.
He further said that the martyrs laid down their lives for the empowerment of the people of the erstwhile state and that "it is tragic that the myopic and communal actions of the present government demolished with one stroke on August 5, all the progress that had been achieved in the last seven decades."
Sajad Lone's People's Conference (PC) while remembering the martyrs said that their valiant sacrifices would continue to inspire people of the state to fight for their rights, dignity and justice.
"The movement against the monarchy was started and led by the people of Kashmir, who immortalised their courageous fight by rendering the ultimate sacrifice of their lives," Abdul Gani Vakil, Senior PC leader said in a statement.
Like his contemporaries, Vakil further stated that the sense of servility that a Kashmiri has been subjected to today is no different than what the rulers in 1931 did.
"Our struggle today is the same. The present-day rulers have left the monarchy well behind in their unquenchable thirst to disempower and humiliate Kashmiris. We must be inspired from the spirit that was nurtured and sown by the martyrs in 1931 and resolve to rise above self to carry forward their sacred mission of fighting for the rights, interests and dignity of disempowered Kashmiris", he added.
Awami Action Committee (AAC), an organ of Hurriyat Conference (M) also claimed that till today, people of Jammu and Kashmir have rendered numerous sacrifices of life and limb incarcerations and arrests to fulfil the great mission of the martyrs and continue to do so.
"Not only does the non-resolution of the issue pose a continuous threat to peace in the region and an atmosphere of uncertainty, but the clouds of war keep hovering over the whole [South Asian] region due to this unresolved dispute," the party said in a statement, adding that this year due to pandemic and the house arrest of the organisations head Mirwaiz Umar Farooq nearing a year now, the congregational tributes and march to Martyrs' Graveyard to pay tributes to 1931 martyrs is cancelled.
What happened on July 13, 1931:
On July 13, 1931, as many as 22 Kashmiris were shot down by Dogra police outside Srinagar's Central Prison when they were agitating against the imprisonment of a Kashmiri named Abdul Qadeer who was being tried on the charges of terrorism and inciting the public against the Maharaja of Kashmir.
Abdul Qadeer had delivered a speech in a gathering where he spoke about the discriminatory treatment of the state towards Kashmiri Muslims concerning the Hindu citizens of the valley. His trial soon drew huge attention of the common Kashmiris and on the day of judgment, thousands of people gathered outside the Srinagar Court premises to lodge their protest against the likely outcome of the case.
Considering the congregation as an unlawful gathering, the Dogra state machinery sprang into action by first resorting to baton-charge and later opening a straight fire on the agitated Kashmiris, killing scores on the spot and injuring hundreds of them.
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