Political Class ‘Detained’ Across Kashmir on Martyrs’ Day, Denied Access to Mazar-e-Shuhada

By
Syed Shadab Ali Gillani
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by Syed Shadab Ali Gillani

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SRINAGAR: A sombre Martyrs’ Day in Kashmir turned politically charged as scores of senior leaders from mainstream parties were placed under house arrest, preventing them from visiting the historic Mazar-e-Shuhada graveyard in Srinagar to pay homage to the victims of the 1931 uprising against Dogra rule.

Prominent figures from across the political spectrum, including ruling party ministers, opposition MLAs, and former chief minister, condemned the move as “blatantly undemocratic” and a “deliberate erasure” of Kashmiri political history.

National Conference (NC) chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, writing on X, revealed that he and “many colleagues, including the party leadership at Gupkar, the Advisor to the Chief Minister, and a majority of sitting MLAs” were locked inside their homes since last night.

In a separate post, Sadiq questioned the functioning of law-and-order achinery in Jammu and Kashmir. He raised queries as how can ‘respectful homage’ be a ‘threat’ to law and order.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in a strongly worded post, described the action as “blatantly undemocratic”. Referring to the graveyard at Naqshband Sahib where 22 people were killed on July 13, 1931, are buried, he said, “All to stop people from visiting a historically important graveyard… I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of.”

In another post, he wrote, “13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh… They fought against British rule in all its forms. Today, they are vilified only because they were Muslims.”

However, Omar Abdullah’s absence from the site drew sharp rebuke from his political rivals. PDP’s Waheed Para said, “@CM_JnK’s absence from Kashmir today is nothing short of disowning July 13… This day demanded presence, not distance.” He called out the Chief Minister’s silence as being “louder than any promise”.

From the official handle of the Chief Minister’s Office, a solemn tribute was posted, recalling the martyrs of 1931 as “brave souls who stood unshaken in the face of tyranny” and affirming that “their truth cannot be silenced”.

Minister Sakina Itoo, also under house arrest, said she and several colleagues, including ministers and MLAs, were forcibly confined to prevent them from laying flowers at the graveyard. “This blatant, undemocratic action… holds deep historical and emotional significance for us,” she posted.

Former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti went further, warning of a return to “oppressive times our 13 July Martyrs fought against”. Naming detained PDP leaders who managed to reach the area before being picked up by police, she said: “They were on their way to Mazar-e-Shuhada… Continuing with its regressive policies… it speaks volumes.”

In a conciliatory but pointed post, she added, “The day you accept our heroes as your own, just as Kashmiris have embraced yours—from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh—that day the ‘dil ki doori’ will truly end.”

Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party, in their social media post, slammed the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for not being present here and “hiding behind promotional events in other states instead.”

Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said he was denied permission to even hold a prayer meeting at the party office, which was locked down by the authorities. “Our only intention was to visit Mazar-e-Shuhada… to pay tribute to the martyrs,” he wrote. Police personnel were also stationed outside his Sheikh Bagh residence and at the homes of several senior party colleagues, he claimed. He later appealed to supporters to hold Esal-e-Sawab at home.

Sajad Lone of the Peoples Conference echoed the sentiment, saying, “Not allowed to move out of home. Detained.” Calling the July 13 martyrs’ sacrifices “sacred for all of us”, he warned that “histories that are etched in blood don’t vanish”.

Earlier in the week, National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar had formally written to the District Magistrate of Srinagar seeking permission for party leaders to visit the site and requesting time allotment. However, no permission was granted.

A statement from Srinagar Police on Saturday morning confirmed that the District Administration had denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on July 13. “Any violation of these orders shall invite strict legal action under relevant provisions of law,” the statement read.

Despite the clampdown, PDP’s Iltija Mufti managed to visit Mazar-e-Shuhada a day earlier. Posting a short video on X, she said, “Knowing that tomorrow we’d be prevented from moving out, I managed to pay tributes… Their memory is being wilfully erased yet their voices echo in every Kashmiri’s heart.”

Martyrs’ Day, commemorating the killing of 22 civilians by forces of Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh in 1931, was once an official public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the observance was removed from the official calendar after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The administration has since introduced a new public holiday on September 23, marking the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh.

Since then, successive years have seen increased restrictions on public commemorations at the site. In July 2024, Omar Abdullah had declared that it would be the “last year” the administration would be able to suppress Martyrs’ Day observances. Now, with his party at the helm of a civilian government, the restrictions this year have left many questioning whether the promise of change was merely rhetorical.

As the day closed, hashtags like #MartyrsDay, #MazarEShuhada, and #July13 trended across social media platforms in Kashmir, where politics and memory continue to battle for space in a landscape still defined by its past.

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