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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Omar hops a fence to reach Martyrs' cemetery: ‘Policemen sometimes forget the law'
A day after the Jammu and Kashmir Police sealed the Martyrs' cemetery and confined political leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, inside their residences, the CM on Monday morning drove to the cemetery in the old city to pay tributes to the 22 people killed by the Dogra regime on July 13, 1931. As police and paramilitary forces tried to stop him, Omar climbed the fence of the cemetery to enter. Speaking to the media after paying tributes, Omar said that the political leaders were locked up on Sunday on the 'clear' directions of the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. He added that 'we are not slaves of anyone'. The CM had been put under house detention at his Gupkar residence on Sunday after arriving in Srinagar from West Bengal. '(On Sunday), I informed the control room that I wanted to visit (the cemetery), and within minutes, concertina wire was laid around my house. It remained there till midnight,' Omar told the reporters. 'Today (Monday), I didn't tell them. Without saying anything to them, I sat in the vehicle, and see their shamelessness – even today they tried to stop us. They tried to scuffle with us. These policemen sometimes forget the law,' he said. Omar asked under which law the police tried to stop him and his colleagues. 'If there was an order, it was for yesterday (Sunday). They tried to stop us, but we foiled their attempt and offered fateha (prayers),' Omar said. 'They say this is a free country, but sometimes they think we are their slaves. We are not slaves of anyone. If we are slaves of anyone, it is the people.' Taking a swipe at the L-G, he said, 'The people who say their only responsibility is security and law and order, on their clear directions we were not allowed to come here to offer fatehah (yesterday),' he said. Omar said that the LG's administration and security agencies are misconceived about the July 13 martyrs. 'They think their graves are here only on July 13,' he said. 'How long will they stop us, if it is not 13, it is 14. Whenever we want to come, we will come to remember these martyrs.' Omar was accompanied by his father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary and several other ministers and party leaders. 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
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
No permission to visit martyrs' graveyard for Kashmir parties, but Iltija manages a trip
The Srinagar district administration has denied permission to J&K political parties to visit the martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar on Sunday and warned of strict legal action against those found violating the order. Several political parties in the Union Territory, including the ruling National Conference, had sought permission to visit the Mazar-e-Shuhada (martyrs' graveyard) in the old city to pay tributes to the 22 people killed during a protest against the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh in 1931. The Srinagar police posted on X: 'The District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13th July 2025 (Sunday).' 'The general public is hereby advised to strictly comply with these instructions and refrain from violating the orders issued by District Administration. Any violation of these orders shall invite strict legal action under relevant provisions of law,' the post read. On July 8, NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar had written to the Srinagar Deputy Commissioner that party president Farooq Abdullah and other leaders planned to visit the martyrs' graveyard on July 13. Meanwhile, apprehending that the administration wouldn't allow political leaders to visit the cemetery on Sunday, PDP leader Iltija Mufti went there on Saturday and paid tributes. 'Their memory is being wilfully erased yet their voices echo in every Kashmiri's heart that refuses to bow & dares to hope,' she posted on X. Echoing her sentiment, People's Conference chairman Sajad Lone posted on X. 'The memory of the July 13 martyrs is a cherished and a sacred memory. Not allowing a day of remembrance will not erase their memory or in any way dilute the sacrifices they rendered. We support any proposal to officially re-declare July 13 as a holiday. It is the least that we can do for those who laid down their lives.' 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
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Rising temperatures push up AC sales in Kashmir: ‘Would not have imagined this 5 years ago'
This year, Owais Ahmad from Srinagar had to do something he has never done in the five years that he's been selling household appliances — he has run out of air conditioners, and had to order for more. 'I used to sell 100-150 ACs a year. But in the first three days of July alone, I have sold 150 ACs. I'm getting more calls from customers but have already exhausted my stocks. The wait time for the new stock is a fortnight,' Ahmad says. Kashmir is sweltering under an unprecedented heatwave this summer. The Valley saw its hottest June in five decades, with the average temperatures standing between 32 and 33 degrees Celsius — some three degrees above normal. July, meanwhile, is getting hotter — the temperature in Srinagar on July 5 was 37.4 degree Celsius, the highest in seven decades. The upshot of this is an unprecedented rise in the sale of ACs and coolers, with dealers saying there's now a shortage in the market. 'While people would buy hot and cold ACs to cope with winter heat, very few households bought ACs in the summer. Generally, offices would buy these. But this time, there is a huge demand for homes,' Ahmad said. There has been a rise in the demand for coolers too — especially in urban areas, where there is less tree cover. According to Bashir Ahmad, who owns a shop selling household appliances in north Kashmir's Sopore, the demand has more than doubled. 'Where I sold 10 coolers in a month before, I've sold 30 this time,' he said. ACs are no longer luxuries, Mohammad Danish said, as he continues his search for one that could be used in the summer as well as the winter. 'Five years ago, I wouldn't have believed it if you told me we needed ACs in the summer. But the heat is now getting unbearable and is likely to get worse,' he said. Meanwhile, the heat has prompted several people to turn to the Valley's water bodies to cool off, leading to several cases of reported drownings. According to officials, 11 people — mostly teenagers — drowned in different parts of the Valley, forcing the government to ban bathing in Kashmir's water bodies. 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
Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Suspected thief tied to police vehicle in Jammu, Mirwaiz asks: ‘Is this how Kashmiris will be treated in their own land?'
A day after the Jammu and Kashmir Police allegedly paraded a 24-year-old youth shirtless on the bonnet of a police vehicle for alleged theft in Jammu, Hurriyat chairman and Valley's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq demanded to know if this is how Kashmiris will be treated in their own land. 'Is this how Kashmiris will be treated in their own land? Stripped of human dignity! Paraded and shamed,' Mirwaiz said on X. 'Actually, it's a shame on the system and mindset that actively participates to humiliate people on the basis of religion and region'. On Tuesday, the police arrested a 24-year-old man from the Kashmir Valley from the premises of a government hospital in Jammu for an alleged theft. The youth was garlanded with slippers and allegedly paraded shirtless on the bonnet of a police vehicle while his hands were tied behind his back. After the video of the parade went viral on social media and drew criticism against police for acting like a mob, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu Joginder Singh ordered a departmental inquiry into the incident. Is this how Kashmiri's will be treated in their own land? Stripped of human dignity! Paraded and shamed! Actually it's a shame on the system and mindset that actively participates to humiliate people on the basis of religion and region. And this is not the first time. One Major… — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) June 25, 2025 In his post, Mirwaiz drew parallels between the incident and one from 2017 when an army major tied a civilian to an army jeep and paraded him through different villages of central Kashmir's Budgam district. 'And this is not the first time. One Major Gogoi is notorious for similar brutality,' Mirwaiz said. 'Ruling authority and Elected representatives must punish all those involved and bring the perpetrators to book'. 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
Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Important that no locals were involved in Pahalgam terror attack, Omar says
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said it is 'important' that no locals were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people and led to the escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. His comments come days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two Kashmiri locals for allegedly harbouring the terrorists, and concluded based on their questioning that all three attackers were from Pakistan. 'They (the arrested men) have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack, and have also confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba,' an NIA spokesperson had said. 'The important thing is that there was no local involvement in this (Pahalgam attack),' Omar said while talking to the reporters in Gulmarg on Tuesday. 'Those who fired, those who killed 26 people, they were all from outside.' 'Two people have been arrested by the NIA for helping them (the attackers), and perhaps the NIA has said that they were coerced to help,' the chief minister said. 'They gave them food, etc. They were forced. Let's allow the NIA investigation to carry on, and then they will file a chargesheet into it.' Omar also addressed reports that there could be a delay in the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, and that it would happen after the present government completes its term. 'Statehood is not for the MLAs or the government, it is for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,' he said, adding that statehood is the right of residents. 'If statehood is brought, we will not stand in the way. In fact, I will ask the Governor to dissolve the Assembly the very next day.' Omar also welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. 'There has been a lot of destruction in these 11 days, we would like there to be a ceasefire as soon as possible and that it stands,' he said. 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
