Srinagar: “Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931. The unelected government tried to block my way, forcing me to walk from Nawhatta chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sb shrine, forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me, but I was not going to be stopped today.”
This is how Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described his Monday morning as he visited the historic Mazar-e-Shuhada in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area, a day after he, along with other elected leaders, was prevented from paying tributes on the anniversary of the 1931 massacre.
Sharing a video of how he was being stopped and grappled from moving ahead, Omar wrote, “This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff & was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal. In fact these “protectors of the law” need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha.”
Omar, joined by Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and other senior National Conference leaders, offered floral tributes to the 22 martyrs who were killed by Dogra forces on July 13, 1931, during a protest against autocratic rule.
The visit came amid continued restrictions and a tight security blanket in the old city, which prevented them from visiting the site on the actual day. On Saturday, roads were barricaded, homes of elected leaders were reportedly locked from outside, and police and paramilitary forces were deployed in strength.
Slamming some sections of the local media, Omar earlier posted on X: “Take a look at our local newspapers — both from Jammu & from Srinagar, English & vernacular. You’ll be able to distinguish the cowards from the ones with guts. The cowards have completely buried the fact that the entire elected government was locked up yesterday along with most elected representatives. The newspapers with some guts have put it on the front page. Shame on the sellouts who buried the story, I hope the size of the envelope was worth it.”
Calling the previous day’s restrictions “blatantly undemocratic”, Omar had said: “Homes were locked from the outside, police and central forces deployed as jailers, and major bridges in Srinagar blocked. All to stop people from visiting a graveyard where people who gave their lives to empower Kashmiris are buried. I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of.”
He added: “To borrow from the late Arun Jaitley Sb — Democracy in J\&K is a tyranny of the unelected. The unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K.”
The former CM also likened the July 13 massacre to Jallianwala Bagh, saying: “The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims.”
Since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, July 13 is no longer a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir, and official commemorations have stopped.
Last year, NC vice-president Omar Abdullah had said July 13 would be observed with full respect going forward. However, this year’s restrictions have again prevented any formal or public commemoration.
Until 2019, July 13 was an official holiday in Jammu and Kashmir. The day marked the beginning of political consciousness in the region and later led to the creation of representative institutions. The holiday was removed from the calendar following the abrogation of Article 370 and reorganisation of the state.
Earlier this year, PDP MLA Waheed Para moved a resolution in the Assembly to restore the holiday. However, the motion did not make it to the final list. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather clarified that while the resolution was admitted, it did not pass the balloting stage.
