July 13 in Kashmir ‘Shaheed’ Din ‘Row: Malas, party leader’ closed ‘inside the houses. CM Omar says, ‘Apparently undemocratic,’ Mint

A national conference spokesperson on Sunday alleged that he, and several of his colleagues in the party and the assembly have been closed inside their homes to prevent the July 13 martyrdom day celebrations in Srinagar.

The leader of the ruling party of Jammu and Kashmir said that such action is unfair, depth insensitive, and reveals a disturbing disregard for the history of the then state.

Tanveer Sadiq wrote in a post on X, “From the previous night, I like many of my colleagues, including party leadership in Gupta, the Chief Minister’s advisor, and sitting MLAs have been locked inside my house.”

It is also a NCI MLA that represents the Zalibal Assembly seat in Sareenrangar.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the move a ‘clearly undemocratic’. He said, “To prevent all the people from entering a historically important graveyard, to prevent people’s tombs, who laid down their lives to give voice to Kashmiris and empower them. I will never understand what the law and order government is afraid,” he said in a post.

Earlier, the administration of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in UT denied permission to all political parties, including the ruling National Conference, to attend the 13 July Martyr’s Day celebrations in Srinagar. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father Farooq Abdullah were expected to attend the wreath ceremony.

Police permission denied

In a statement, the police said that the district administration of Srinagar has denied permission and warned that strict action will be taken against any violations that tries to move towards the site.

The police advised the intended participants to strictly follow the instructions and avoid violating orders issued by the district administration.

The ruling National Conference sought permission from Srinagar District Magistrate on July 13, 1931 to pay tribute to the “martyr” by the forces of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh’s Dogra Maharaja.

The National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said in a letter to Srinagar DM, “The party’s president Farooq Abdullah and other senior party officials intended to visit the” martyrs “cemetery at Nawashband Sahib near Novata on Sunday (July 13) at 8 am on Sunday (July 13).”

Sagar wrote in the letter, “It is requested to confirm the proposed time or allot time so that there is no confusion in this regard … the party will follow the time as allotted time.”

Why is 13 July seen as the day of martyrs?

On July 13, 1931, Maharaja Hari Singh is celebrated as the day of martyrs to sacrifice 22 people leading the rebellion against the ‘autocratic’ rule, which eventually forced the Maharaja to hold the first assembly elections in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

This day was a public holiday in the erstwhile state by 2019, when Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir, was canceled, providing special status. From 2020, on 13 July, the official calendar of the public holiday has been removed.

Instead, the LG administration declared the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh on 23 September, a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir.

Since then, the UT administration has rejected any task in the martyrs’ cemetery and even kept Kashmiri leaders including former Chief Ministers, as part of a house arrest to prevent the martyrs from going to the cemetery in Srinagar.

After winning the election and forming the government in October 2024, the neck is demanding to restore the holiday. The UT administration has also removed December 5, the birthday of the national conference founder and the grandfather of Omar Abdullah, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah from the official calendar of the public holiday.

A spokesperson of the neck said for decades, the party has seen the “day of the martyrs” on 13 July, respecting the brave sacrifices made in 1931.

“However, since 2019, we have been denied the right to celebrate this historic day again and again-one day is deeply linked to the collective memory and political discretion of our people. This year, keeping in mind our tradition, we have formally written to the District Magistrate, Srinagar, asking for permission for the gathering and floral tribute.”

Traditionally, NC organizes a wreath ceremony in the martyrs’ cemetery before holding a public meeting on 13 July. Other regional parties like PDP and APNI Party have also announced that they will inspect the martyrs’ day on 13 July.