CM Omar slams lockdown on ‘Martyrs’ Day’ tributes

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today criticised the authorities for locking several Kashmiri mainstream political leaders inside their homes, including those of the ruling National Conference (NC), to stop them from visiting the historic graveyard in Srinagar where the “martyrs” of July 13, 1931, are buried. He called it a “blatantly undemocratic” move.

Several mainstream leaders, including PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone, NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq, Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari and Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq claimed that their houses were locked to stop them from visiting the Martyr’s graveyard.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on X; “In a blatantly undemocratic move homes have been locked from 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. I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of”.

“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 CM wrote.

A post on his official X handle said; “On 13th July, the Chief Minister solemnly remembers the martyrs of 1931, brave souls who stood unshaken in the face of tyranny and laid down their lives for justice, dignity, and democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Their sacrifice marked not just resistance but the rise of a collective conscience that continues to guide us to this day. Their memory cannot be erased. Their truth cannot be silenced. This day stands as a timeless reminder that courage endures, and that freedom, once awakened, cannot be undone. We continue to honour their legacy not merely through words, but through the values we uphold and the justice we strive to deliver”.

The Srinagar Police had yesterday announced that “The District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13 July (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 CM Omar slams lockdown on ‘Martyrs’ Day’ tributes first appeared on JK Newsline.