Latest news with #Dogras
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Jammu: BJP MLAS stage protest against making Urdu language test mandatory for naib tehsildars posts
The BJP MLAs on Monday protested outside the Civil Secretariat and Assembly against the NC government for making Urdu language test mandatory for the posts of naib tehsildars in revenue department. Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly Sunil Sharma and supporters stage a protest outside the Civil Secretariat over the issue of making Urdu a compulsory subject for the post of naib tehsildar on Monday. (ANI) The BJP has been opposing the move across Jammu for over three weeks, holding protests and rallies across at the district level. The party has warned of launching a region-wide agitation if the order is not withdrawn. However, experts stated that the government has to amend a flawed SRO 74 pertaining to recruitment rules to ensure level playing field among the job aspirants. The MLAs of the saffron party arrived at the Civil Secretariat in the morning and staged a dharna, calling the order discriminatory and detrimental to the interests of Jammu's youth. Carrying placards highlighting injustice against Jammu's youth, Dogras and other official languages of the union territory, the BJP leaders raised slogans against the government and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, accusing the part of trying to create unrest in the region. 'We are staging a dharna against the decision to make Urdu mandatory for naib tehsildar examinations in Jammu and Kashmir, which is not acceptable to us,' BJP MLA and former minister Sham Lal Sharma said. He said, 'Kashmir-centric parties, particularly the NC, have been discriminating against this region for decades. This is a fresh example of it.' Taking a swipe at the NC governments for decades-long discrimination against Jammu and its people, he said, 'We thought their discriminatory approach had changed after 2019, but it continues even today.' 'By making Urdu mandatory for such important posts in the government, the NC rulers have overruled previous provisions where knowing the language Urdu was not compulsory,' Sharma further said. 'We are holding protests to get it revoked. The matter has been brought to the notice of the Lieutenant Governor as well and memorandums have been submitted through deputy commissioners, but nothing has been done so far,' he said. Sharma said that 14 BJP MLAs had even met chief minister Omar Abdullah over the issue. 'His approach was positive. Still, no action has been taken, and tomorrow is the last day to apply for the posts.' 'They are trying to create unrest in Jammu and are forcing us to go on agitation. All 28 BJP MLAs have started it with today's two-hour-long token dharna,' he added. The former minister further said that the party will soon announce its next course of action. 'Making Urdu a compulsory subject in recruitment for naib tehsildars is a gross injustice to the youth of the Jammu region,' BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi said, adding that such injustice will not be tolerated. 'We will not allow the repetition of such injustice,' he said and added that the move is a clear violation of equal status accorded to multiple official languages, including Dogri, Hindi, Kashmiri, Urdu and English.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP MLAs protest in Jammu over compulsory Urdu for naib tehsildar posts, demand rollback
File photo (PTI) JAMMU: BJP legislators on Monday staged a protest outside the civil secretariat in Jammu, demanding revocation of a government order mandating Urdu as a compulsory language for naib tehsildar recruitment examination in Jammu and Kashmir. The MLAs arrived at the secretariat in the morning and staged a dharna, terming the order discriminatory and detrimental to the interests of Jammu's youth. Carrying placards highlighting injustice against Jammu's youth, Dogras and other official languages of the Union Territory, they raised slogans against the government and CM Omar Abdullah, accusing his party, National Conference, of trying to create unrest in the region. Speaking to the media, Sunil Sharma said this policy amounted to grave injustice against deserving candidates who are otherwise qualified but are being excluded based on language preference. 'This is not just about language; it's about rights, opportunities and equal treatment. Why should proficiency in Urdu be made mandatory when there are several other official languages in J&K?' he asked. Former minister Sham Lal Sharma said: 'Kashmir-centric parties, particularly NC, have been discriminating against the Jammu region for decades. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Invest in SALIK shares today and be part of the city's growth سالك Learn More Undo This is a fresh example of it.' Issuing such an order was a clear attempt to deny jobs to Jammu's youth, he alleged. 'We are holding protests to get it revoked. Youth are already on the streets protesting. The matter has been brought to the notice of the lieutenant governor as well, and memorandums have been submitted through deputy commissioners, but nothing has been done so far,' he said. Sharma said 14 BJP MLAs had even met CM Omar on the issue. 'His approach was positive, but no action has been taken yet, and tomorrow is the last day to apply for the posts. They are trying to create unrest in Jammu and are forcing us to go on agitation,' he added. 'We are warning the government not to play with the sentiments of the people of Jammu, who are fed up with the discriminatory attitude of Kashmir-centric rulers,' he said.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Kashmir leaders under house arrest: What is the row over ‘Martyrs' Day'
Politics in Jammu and Kashmir is heating up over 'Martyrs' Day' on July 13, the official holiday for which was scrapped after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. This is the first time since then that an elected government is in power. The valley's main political parties had resolved to visit the 'Martyrs' Cemetery' in old Srinagar city on July 13 to pay their tributes, while the BJP opposed any official commemoration. Now, Jammu and Kashmir Police have put several leaders across the political divide under house detention to prevent them from visiting the cemetery. What is the history behind the 'Martyrs' day' and why is a controversy surrounding it? Before the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019, July 13 was officially commemorated as Martyrs' Day in the erstwhile state as a tribute to 22 people killed by the Dogra regime in 1931. They had been assembled outside Srinagar's central jail in protest when they were shot by the police. In the run-up to July 13, 1931, several incidents had already taken place, brewing discontent against the Dogra rulers. It was in this backdrop that Abdul Qadeer Khan, in June 1931, gave a fiery speech against the Dogras and asked the people to rise against them. Khan, whose origin is not certain, was a cook of a British Army officer who was on a vacation to Kashmir. Khan was charged by the Dogra regime for sedition. As the trial began in July 1931, a large gathering of Kashmiri Muslims assembled outside the court of the Session's judge in Srinagar. The trial was shifted to Srinagar central jail, which was put under heavy security protection. On July 13, around 4,000 to 5,000 people assembled outside the jail to witness the trial. The people tried to enter inside the premises but were prevented. They camped outside the jail. It was during this protest that the Dogra police opened fire, killing 22 Kashmiri Muslims and injuring many. There are competing narratives about what led to the firing. While some say that the protestors tried to break the jail gates and pelted stones, the dominant narrative is that they were camped outside the jail and began shouting slogans when the then Srinagar deputy commissioner arrived at the scene. As a local Muslim stood up to call for the noon prayers, he was fired at by the police. The police then opened fire on the protestors, killing 22. The slain protestors were taken to Srinagar's grand mosque and buried in the premises of the shrine of a Muslim saint, Khawja Bahaudin Naqashbandi. It was at this cemetery that Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, then a top leader of Muslim Conference — he later changed the Muslim Conference to a secular National Conference — announced that July 13 would 'henceforth be observed as Martyrs' day'. Official Holiday and Commemorations July 13 was officially commemorated as 'Martyrs' day' in Jammu and Kashmir and the day was observed as a state holiday till August 2019. The Chief Minister and political leaders would visit the 'Martyrs' cemetery' in Srinagar to pay tributes. The BJP opposed this. In 2015, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formed a coalition government with the BJP, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited the graveyard, but BJP leaders, including the deputy chief minister and ministers, most of whom hailed from Jammu, didn't join her. Since the formation of the coalition, the BJP leaders and ministers had started to demand a holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the Dogra king in power when the 1931 killings took place. 'Martyrs' across the divide July 13 was perhaps the only occasion where the separatists and the mainstream political parties were unanimous, and that is why the departed were called 'martyrs' of all'. While the government would officially commemorate the day declaring it a holiday, the separatists would call a shutdown on the day to protest against their killing. The protests on July 13, 1931 were seen as the first assertion of Muslim identity in Jammu and Kashmir and the beginning of the struggle for freedom. Scrapping the Holiday After the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5, 2019, the Centre-appointed Lt Governor scrapped the official holiday on July 13. The holiday on the birth anniversary of National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was also scrapped. The official commemorations of the 'Martyrs' day' were stopped and the administration prevented political leaders and parties from commemorating the day by sealing the 'martyrs' cemetery' and putting the leaders under house detention. In addition, the LG administration in 2022 declared the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh as a public holiday. Omar Abdullah government in a fix Since coming to power, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has tried to avoid confrontations with the Centre, earning some criticism over it in the Valley. For Martyrs' Day, while the National Conference as a political party had said it would visit the cemetery and sought permission for an event, the government was silent on the issue. There was no word from the government on the official commemoration. The Peoples Democratic Party already accused the Omar Abdullah government of 'shifting the onus from elected government to their party'. 'For the first time in 78 years, an elected government in J&K is distancing itself from the martyrs who laid down their lives against autocracy,' the PDP said. However, on Sunday, after the police (they come under the L-G) put several leaders under house arrest, Omar called it a 'blatantly undemocratic move'. '13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today but we will not forget their sacrifices,' the CM tweeted. Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Archive, 1947: Armed revolt in Kashmir
Srinagar (Kashmir), 24 October Friction between Kashmir state, with its Hindu ruler and predominantly Hindu administration on the one hand, and its mainly Muslim population backed by public opinion in the adjoining Pakistan Dominion on the other, has in recent weeks taken the form of armed rebellion. The Muslim peasantry of the western districts of Poona province have risen against the maharajah and within the last two days the main road link between Kashmir and Pakistan, leading from Srinagar (the capital of Kashmir) to Rawalpindi, has been cut. According to reports in Srinagar today, rebellious Muslims have been aided and armed by Pakistan from across the Jhelum River, which here forms the border between Kashmir and Pakistan. India: the British Raj is dead - archive, 15 August 1947 Consequently the rebels have succeeded in forcing Kashmir state troops (mainly Hindu dogras) to withdraw eastwards. The rebels are said also to have raided armouries and seized several hundred rifles and to have chased out the minority communities of Hindus and Sikhs who had earlier sought refuge in Kashmir territory from the communal troubles in the Rawalpindi division. The latest and most serious development, however, which has hitherto lacked confirmation, is the report that within the last two days the adjacent district of Muzafarabad has likewise passed into the control of rebel peasantry, who in this case are said to be supported by armed raiders consisting of several hundred Pathans from Hazara. According to official sources here these Pathans from across the Pakistan border are running amuck in Muzafarabad district, burning and looting villages without much dis-crimination. All these troubles are of course a direct repercussion of the accession controversy which has been exercising men's minds ever since British suzerainty over Kashmir ceased on 15 August. Because Kashmir's population is more than 80% Muslim, and because its geographical and economic position make it dependent upon Pakistan, Muslims feel that the State must accede to Pakistan. But the union of India has been taking lively interest in the subject and indications are that the Hindu maharajah Sir Hari Singh, has been influenced by representations made by Mr Gandhi and other Congress leaders.
