Not Anyone's Slaves: Omar Abdullah After Scaling Wall To Honour Kashmir Martyrs

Despite police trying to stop him from visiting the Martyrs' Graveyard, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday climbed the wall to pay homage to Kashmiri protesters killed on July 13, 1931, by Maharaja Hari Singh's Dogra forces.

The Chief Minister's unexpected move followed a day of unprecedented restrictions, where he and other prominent J&K leaders were prevented from visiting the Mazar-e-Shuhada, adjacent to the Khwaja Bahawuddin Naqshbandi shrine, to observe the anniversary of the killings.

In a video posted on his X account, Omar Abdullah claimed that he was subjected to physical grappling but he did not stop. "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," he wrote.

Speaking to media after his visit, the J&K Chief Minister said, "We were not allowed to read the Fatiha here yesterday. People were kept confined to their homes. When the gates were opened and I informed the control room that I wanted to come here, a bunker was set up in front of my gate and it was not removed till late at night. Today I did not tell them at all. Without telling them, I sat into the car (and drove here),"

He further condemned the security forces' actions: "Look at their shamelessness. Even today, they tried to stop us. We parked the car at Nowhatta Chowk. They put a bunker in front of us and tried to manhandle us. These policemen in uniform sometimes forget the law. I want to ask them, under which law did they try to stop us today? The restrictions were for yesterday. They say this is a free country, but sometimes they think we are their slaves. We are not anyone's slaves. If we are slaves, we are the people's slaves," the National Conference leader stated, directly criticizing the Valley's security forces, who operate under the Lieutenant Governor's authority. "They tried to stop us, to tear apart our flags, but their attempts failed. We came and read the fatiha," he added.

Yesterday, the Chief Minister, along with ministers, MLAs, and Opposition leaders, were confined to their homes to prevent their visit to the Martyrs' Memorial. Abdullah, who returned from Delhi last evening, described being "locked up" upon his arrival.

"To borrow from the late Arun Jaitley Sb - Democracy in J&K is a tyranny of the unelected. To put it in terms you will all understand today the unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K," he posted on X, implicitly criticizing the Lieutenant Governor's administration for "locking up the elected government."

The Lieutenant Governor's administration had explicitly denied permission for the Martyrs' Day function, issuing warnings of strict action against anyone attempting to approach the Martyrs' Graveyard.

Abdullah had earlier expressed his condemnation on social media, stating, "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 1931 Incident

July 13, 1931, marks a pivotal moment in Kashmir's history. On this day, a crowd of Kashmiris protested outside the Srinagar jail in support of Abdul Qadeer, who faced sedition charges for urging Kashmiris to rise against Dogra ruler Hari Singh. Maharaja's forces opened fire on the protesters, resulting in 22 deaths. These killings sparked widespread protests, compelling the Dogra ruler and the British to address the grievances of the Valley's Muslim community. The first Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir were a direct consequence, marking the advent of the democratic process after centuries of autocratic rule, despite the Maharaja retaining significant powers.