a day ago
J&K CM Omar Abdullah Physically Grappled By Police Personnel, Says Was Doing Nothing Illegal
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday jumped over the boundary wall of Mazar-e-Shuhada in Srinagar's Naqshband Sahib to offer prayers after allegedly being stopped by the security forces. He shared a video stating that he was 'physically grappled' by the police personnel as he visited the Martyrs' Graveyard in Srinagar on Monday to pay his respects.
This comes a day after the Jammu and Kashmir Police sealed the Martyrs' cemetery and confined top political leaders, including Abdullah, inside their residences, barring them from visiting the Martyrs' Graveyard (Mazar-e-Shuhada), to mark the anniversary of the protesters shot dead by Maharaja Hari Singh's Dogra forces on July 13, 1931.
The J&K Chief Minister shared a video on the social media platform X and stated that he was doing "nothing unlawful or illegal."
"This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff & was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal," he posted.
"In fact these 'protectors of the law' need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha," he added.
This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff & was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal. In fact these 'protectors of the law' need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 14, 2025
According to ANI, Abdullah said that he did not inform anyone before visiting the Mazar-e-Shuhada since he was house arrested on Kashmir Martyrs' Day (Sunday).
सीएम उमर अब्दुल्ला ने नक्शबंद साहब की दरगाह का गेट फांदकर पढ़ी फातिहा, पुलिस पर हाथापाई के लगाए आरोप
जम्मू-कश्मीर में शहीद दिवस को लेकर विवाद जारी है. अब जम्मू-कश्मीर के मुख्यमंत्री और नेशनल कॉन्फ्रेंस (एनसी) के नेता उमर अब्दुल्ला ने प्रशासन पर हाथापाई के आरोप लगाए हैं. साथ ही… — Zee News (@ZeeNews) July 14, 2025
"Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931. The unelected government tried to block my way forcing me to walk from Nawhatta chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sb shrine forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me but I was not going to be stopped today," Abdullah posted on X. The graveyard is attached to the shrine of Khwaja Bahawuddin Naqshbandi.
Abdullah also came down heavily on the 'unelected nominees of New Delhi' for allegedly locking up the elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir. Taking to X, the Chief Minister shared pictures of police outside his residence, with armoured vehicles parked and movement restricted, as the regional parties, including the National Conference (NC), were denied permission to visit the martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq had also alleged that the elected representatives in the union territory were detained inside their homes to stop them from paying tribute to the martyrs.
Meanwhile, after not being allowed to visit the martyrs' graveyard, People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti said that the "dil ki doori (distance of hearts)" between Kashmir and the rest of India would end when the Centre accepts Kashmir's heroes as its own, just as Kashmiris have embraced national figures.
Martyrs' Day in Kashmir, which was earlier observed as an official holiday in the State, was delisted after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
