Omar Scales Fences to Offer Prayers at Mazar-e-Shuhda, A Day Later

By
Syed Shadab Ali Gillani
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by Syed Shadab Ali Gillani

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SRINAGAR: A day after restrictions prevented political gatherings at Mazar-e-Shuhada, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior party leaders visited the Naqashband Sahib shrine in Srinagar to pay tributes to the July 13 martyrs.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and NC President Farooq Abdullah offered prayers and floral tributes at the Martyrs’ Graveyard. The party leadership, including deputy CM Surinder Choudhary, Minister Sakina Itoo, CM’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, MLA’s Tanvir Sadiq, Salman Sagar, Ahsan Pardesi, and others, participated in the visit. Education Minister Sakina Itoo was seen riding on a scooter to reach the spot.

Omar posted a small video clip on his X with the caption, “Paid my respects and 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,” he wrote on X.

Followed by another post where Omar mentioned physical grappling and posted another small clip on Twitter, “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,” he tweeted.

Commenting on this, MLA Tanvir Sadiq said, “Physically grappling Hon’ble Chief Minister is not just wrong, it’s an assault on our democracy. Action must be taken against the officer responsible. THIS IS A SHAME.”

In a separate post, he wrote, “Hon’ble CM @OmarAbdullah, JKNC President Dr Farooq Abdullah, Cabinet Ministers, and MLAs offered fatiha and paid solemn tribute at Mazaar-e-Shuhada today, honouring the martyrs who laid down their lives for the dignity and rights of our people. To those who tried to stop us yesterday, hear this loud and clear: we don’t need your permission to honour our martyrs. We can, and will, pay tribute any day, any time. Your decision was not just wrong, it was absurd and unjustified.”

Yesterday, Omar Abdullah tweeted, “The unelected government locked up the elected government.”

In another tweet, he wrote, “To borrow from the late Arun Jaitley Sb – Democracy in J&K is a tyranny of the unelected.  To put it in terms you will all understand, today the unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K,” he wrote.

Omar had returned from Delhi on Saturday evening and, according to senior National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani, had planned to visit the Mazaar-e-Shuhada (Martyrs’ Graveyard) in Srinagar, a site long associated with tributes to the 22 civilians killed on July 13, 1931, while protesting autocratic rule under Maharaja Hari Singh and British suzerainty. However, police reportedly denied him permission and deployed barricades and vehicles to block his movement.

“Baktar-band (armoured) vehicles were parked at his gate, and he was asked not to step out. All residences of National Conference and opposition leaders were locked since morning,” Wani said.

The visit came a day after the District Administration Srinagar denied permission for gatherings near Khawaja Bazar, including any congregational programme to mark Martyrs’ Day. The National Conference had earlier applied for permission to hold a commemorative event, which was not granted.

While the day was officially commemorated in the past, it is no longer a gazetted holiday while the National Conference continues to observe the day independently. Yesterday, politicians across party lines tweeted about their house detention.

Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was also reportedly placed under house arrest. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone, and several NC ministers and MLAs faced similar restrictions, with many sharing images of locked gates and sealed roads leading to their homes.

July 13 remains a pivotal date in Kashmir’s political consciousness. On this day, 22 people were killed by the Maharaja’s forces outside the Srinagar Central Jail while demanding the release of Abdul Qadeer, who had urged Kashmiris to rise against Dogra rule. Their deaths became the catalyst for political awakening in the Valley, eventually leading to the first-ever elections and the introduction of an Assembly under the Maharaja’s regime.

The day was officially observed until 2019, when the Central government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Since then, July 13 and December 5 (Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary) have been removed from the official holiday calendar. In their place, the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh has been added as a state holiday.

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