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… pic.twitter.com/IS6rOSwoN4
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 14, 2025
The dramatic scene unfolded a day after Abdullah and several leaders of the National Conference and Opposition were put under house arrest to prevent them from going to the graveyard to mark Martyrs’ Day.
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 grave yard containing the graves of people who laid down their… https://t.co/yTC2V53VAy
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 13, 2025
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah took an autorickshaw from the Khanyar crossing to the martyrs memorial. State Education Minister Sakina Ittoo rode pillion on a scooty to the memorial.
After Omar’s cavalcade reached Khanyar in the old city, he got off his vehicle and walked more than a kilometre from Nowhatta Chowk to reach the graveyard. As the gates were locked by the authorities, Omar climbed over the main gate and entered the graveyard premises to offer ‘fateha’.
His security men and several other National Conference leaders were also seen climbing over before the gate was finally thrown open.
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 pic.twitter.com/8Fj1BKNixQ
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 14, 2025
Omar Abdullah said he and his party leaders foiled the police’s attempts to catch them.
“They tried to catch us, they tried to tear apart our flag but all of it went in vain. We came here and offered ‘fateha’. They think the martyrs’ graves are here only on July 13, but they are here all year round.” How long could the L-G administration stop them from paying tributes to martyrs. If not on July 13, it could be July 12 or 14 of December, January or February, he asked.
“We will come here whenever we feel like,” Omar asserted.
July 13 is commemorated as ‘Martyrs Day’ in Jammu and Kashmir as a tribute to 22 people killed by the Dogra army outside Srinagar’s central jail in 1931. The L-G administration had dropped the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also slammed the Centre’s action. She said, “What is wrong in visiting the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only unfortunate, it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen. What happened this morning to an elected Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is unacceptable. Shocking. Shameful.”
With inputs from PTI
