SRINAGAR: The Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqshband Sahib in Srinagar remained inaccessible on Monday after authorities imposed security restrictions across parts of the city to prevent gatherings on the occasion of July 13. Several mainstream political leaders alleged they had been placed under house arrest or prevented from reaching the cemetery.
I tried to visit the Mazar-e-Shuhada at 4:30 AM today to pay my humble tributes to our martyrs of 13th July. However, due to the heavy deployment of security forces and extensive barbed-wire barricading around the graves, I was prevented from entering. I was accompanied by the… pic.twitter.com/8ca75MSHRX
— Sakina Itoo (@sakinaitoo) July 12, 2026
Large contingents of security personnel were deployed around the graveyard and adjoining areas, while concertina wire, barricades and movement restrictions prevented political leaders, party workers and members of the public from offering floral tributes or reciting prayers at the graves of those killed on July 13, 1931.
Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Sakina Itoo said she attempted to visit the Martyrs’ Graveyard during the early hours of Monday but was prevented from entering because of heavy security deployment and extensive barricading around the cemetery. She said the sacrifices of the martyrs would continue to be remembered despite the restrictions.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti accused the BJP of attempting to politicise the legacy of the July 13 martyrs, asserting that their sacrifices remain an integral part of Kashmir’s history. Unable to visit the graveyard, she, along with party workers, paid floral tributes at the PDP headquarters in Srinagar, where the party also displayed banners commemorating the martyrs.
Denied access to the Martyrs Graveyard, PDP President @MehboobaMufti today paid floral tributes to the Martyrs of July 13, 1931 at the Party Headquarters in Srinagar. Along with senior party leaders, she reaffirmed that no restrictions can erase the memory of those who sacrificed… pic.twitter.com/d9aoIH0VW5
— J&K PDP (@jkpdp) July 13, 2026
PDP leader Iltija Mufti alleged that she had been placed under house arrest ahead of the observance and claimed the restrictions contradicted official claims of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also claimed he had once again been placed under house arrest and said all roads leading to Mazar-e-Shuhada had been sealed. In a post on social media, he paid tributes to the July 13 martyrs and said their sacrifices remained central to Kashmir’s struggle for justice, dignity and human rights.
With deep emotion and reverence we pay our respects and glorious tributes to our first Martyrs, who 95 years ago on this day, by their supreme sacrifice laid the foundation of the people’s struggle for justice, dignity and human rights. A struggle that continues.
It is painful… pic.twitter.com/qq5TJuTaWl
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) July 13, 2026
National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar also paid tributes to the July 13 martyrs, describing their sacrifices as an enduring inspiration in the struggle for democratic rights and identity. The National Conference alleged that Sagar and Hazratbal MLA Salman Ali Sagar had been kept under house arrest since Sunday.
PDP leader Zuhaib Yousf Mir also claimed he had been placed under house arrest after attempting to march towards the Martyrs’ Graveyard to pay homage.
The restrictions come a year after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in July 2025, scaled the boundary wall and gate of the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqshband Sahib to pay tributes to the 1931 martyrs after the administration had locked the gates and restricted access.
July 13 was officially observed as Martyrs’ Day in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir before the 2019 constitutional changes, commemorating the 22 people who were killed outside Srinagar Central Jail in 1931. The official holiday and state function associated with the occasion were discontinued following the reorganisation of the erstwhile state.
