Martyrs' Day Sparks Political Storm In Kashmir: Omar Scales Wall, Faces Criticism

India.com

a day ago

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was out of Kashmir on Sunday, came under criticism by opposition parties for being absent on Martyrs' Day. He reached the Valley around 7 PM and claimed that he had called the police control room expressing his wish to visit the martyrs' graveyard, but a bunker was placed at his gate until 12 AM, preventing him from leaving.
On Monday, Omar Abdullah, without informing security or the administration, along with Farooq Abdullah and other party leaders, broke through four barricades and jumped over the fencing wall to visit the Mazaar-e-Shuhada (Martyrs' Graveyard) at Srinagar's Naqshband Sahib shrine. He paid tribute to the martyrs of July 13, 1931.
Omar again claimed that he was stopped midway at Nawhatta Chowk by police and CRPF, and a police bunker was placed on the road.
However, they forcibly proceeded toward the graveyard, where he said the gates of the shrine were locked. He scaled the grilled wall of the shrine with other leaders and offered Fatiha, paying tributes to the 1931 martyrs.
Abdullah said, 'It's very unfortunate that the people who claim their duty is only to maintain law and order, on their instructions, we were not allowed to offer Fatiha at the martyrs' graveyard. Everyone was kept inside their homes. When I contacted the control room and said I wanted to go, a bunker was placed in front of my gate within minutes, and it remained there until 12 AM. They have a misunderstanding that these martyrs' graves exist only on July 13. Let it be not the 13th—be it the 12th, 14th, December, or January—these martyrs are here always, and we will come and offer respect whenever we want.'
He added, 'Today I didn't inform them, but see how shameless they are—they wanted to stop us at Nawhatta Chowk and placed CRPF and a police bunker. They even tried to stop us forcibly. Some policemen forget what the law is. I want to know under which law they wanted to stop us. They even tried to physically grapple with me, tear our flag—but they couldn't stop us. We reached here and offered Fatiha.'
Omar Abdullah said, 'They claim this is a free country, but sometimes they think we are their slaves. We want to tell them—we aren't their slaves; we are slaves to our people.'
On Sunday, CM Omar Abdullah came under criticism from opposition political parties for being outside the Valley on July 13, Martyrs' Day. PDP chief spokesperson and Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija Mufti, sensing possible house arrest and restrictions on July 13, managed to reach the martyrs' graveyard on July 12 and offered tributes.
She said in a video statement on X, 'Nothing has changed in J&K even after elections. Before becoming Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah sahab committed to honoring Martyrs' Day with pomp and ceremony. But a year later, after winning an overwhelming mandate, he chose to stay away in Delhi rather than stand up for his people and their history.'
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone took a jibe at both Omar Abdullah and Iltija Mufti, suggesting that their visits to the martyrs' graveyard—one a day before and one a day after—seemed scripted. He also advised Omar to step down, calling the way he was treated an insult to the Chief Minister's office and said he would be the first to follow him.
Lone wrote on X, 'For a moment I was impressed. But now that you have given a ball-by-ball commentary of your so-called struggle in reaching the Martyrs Graveyard — I will bet my life. It was all scripted.
I will still tell you. That the institution of Chief Minister is much bigger than the person of the incumbent Chief Minister. Please save this institution. Please step down. I will be the first person to follow you. "
'That a security person would try to grapple or stop a Chief Minister is a humiliation for all of us. Don't set a precedent which others will have to follow—a precedent of humiliation. These choreographed events are too predictable. Stop insulting the intelligence of the common Kashmiri.
'There are two King's parties in Kashmir. One gets to have dramatic access a day before July 13, and the second one gets access a day after July 13. Truly magical.'
The BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit has opposed observing this day as Martyrs' Day, claiming the individuals were not martyrs but rioters who looted Pandit shops and killed Kashmiri Pandits on that day.
BJP UT spokesman Altaf Thakur said, 'It was a political drama to keep himself relevant. Everyone knows it's been nine months since the NC has been in government, and they have failed to deliver. Now Omar sahab is playing an emotional card to come into the spotlight. And if we talk about July 13, it's a Black Day in history—the day when Kashmiri Pandits' shops were looted and burned. Even today, Kashmiri Pandits remember it as 'Lootmar ka Din' and observe it as a Black Day. Those whom they call martyrs—we don't consider them martyrs; they were rioters. It was all a conspiracy led by Qadir, who was in jail, and that day, 11 Pandits were killed. They were put in bags and thrown in the river. BJP considers martyrs to be Maqbool Sherwani, DSP Yaqoob, and thousands of others who sacrificed their lives for the country.'
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee backed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, calling the incident unfortunate and unconstitutional. Replying to Omar on X, she wrote, 'What is wrong in visiting the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only unfortunate, but it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen. What happened this morning to an elected Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah is unacceptable. Shocking. Shameful.'
On July 13, the Srinagar district administration had issued a public advisory (dated July 12, 2025), denying permission for visits to the graveyard, citing law and order concerns.
Restrictions and heavy police deployment were enforced in Srinagar, including house arrests of several political leaders, locked gates, and road barricades to prevent people and leaders from reaching the martyrs' graveyard.
Martyrs' Day is observed in Kashmir in remembrance of the 22 people who were killed while protesting during Azan in 1931. It was previously a public holiday in Kashmir, with visits to the martyrs' graveyard by both mainstream and separatist groups. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the July 13 holiday was removed, and official functions at the graveyard were banned.
Martyrs' Day commemorates those 22 individuals who died protesting against the rule of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh.
All regional political parties, apart from Abdullah, condemned the administration's actions and restrictions across Srinagar. After coming to power, the National Conference had promised to restore the historical significance of Martyrs' Day. Omar's government had earlier formally requested the Lieutenant Governor to reinstate July 13 as a public holiday.