Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reacted strongly after the LG administration decided to halt the commemoration ceremony for the July 13 martyrs who laid down their lives against the brutal Dogra rule in 1931.
Omar, while criticising the move, said it is a violation of democratic rights. In his post on X, the CM remembers the martyrs of 1931, brave souls who stood against the tyrannical rules of the time. Their sacrifice marked not just resistance but the rise of a collective conscience that continues to guide us to this day.
Abdullah's post also reads, “In a blatantly undemocratic move, homes have been locked from the outside, police & central forces deployed as jailers, & major bridges in Srinagar blocked.
All to stop people from visiting a historically important graveyard containing the graves of people who laid down their lives to give Kashmiris a voice & to empower them”, he said. “I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of,” Omar said.
Meanwhile, several mainstream politicians have slammed the LG administration for stopping the commemoration of the martyrs.
PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti said, “The day you accept our heroes as your own, just as Kashmiris have embraced yours—from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh—that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the ‘dil ki doori’ (distance of hearts) will truly end.”
Further, former minister and Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari termed the order as unfortunate and said, “Police personnel in large numbers were deployed near my residence in Sheikh Bagh to stop me from reaching the party office and participating in the peaceful prayer meeting.”
Calling these measures “clear and blatant examples of highhandedness and authoritarian behaviour,” Bukhari questioned the rationale behind the restrictions. “What is the purpose of stopping us from commemorating Martyrs’ Day, and how does it serve the authorities?” he asked.
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