SRINAGAR — A day after being placed under house arrest and barred from visiting the martyrs’ graveyard on “Martyrs’ Day”, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with his cabinet colleagues, legislators and senior National Conference (NC) leaders, on Monday visited the site at Nowhatta in Srinagar to pay homage to the 22 Kashmiris killed on July 13, 1931.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was accompanied by Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary, CM’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, cabinet ministers Javed Dar and Sakina Itoo, NC president Farooq Abdullah, party spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq and several other party leaders and legislators. They paid floral tributes at the martyrs’ graveyard near the Naqshband Sahib shrine, which had been heavily barricaded by security forces, TNIE reported.
In a defiant move that quickly went viral on social media, Omar Abdullah scaled a wall and jumped a barricade to access the graveyard, followed closely by his security detail and other party members.
“These people think that we are their slaves. We are not their slaves; we are the servants of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar told reporters at the site.
He said that despite not notifying the authorities of his visit, attempts were made to block his movement once again. “A security vehicle was parked in Nowhatta Chowk to block our movement. Which law allows them to stop elected representatives from paying tribute to martyrs? Is this democracy or dictatorship?” he asked.
Omar further alleged that police tried to seize the NC party flag during the incident. “They tried to stop us and tear our flag. But they failed. We paid our respects and will continue to honour our martyrs,” he asserted.
On X (formerly Twitter), the NC posted: “No restrictions can silence us; our democratic rights will prevail. We forever honour the July 13, 1931, martyrs who rose against tyranny.”
Omar himself wrote on X: “Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931.” He later added, “The unelected government tried to block my way, forcing me to walk from Nowhatta Chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sahib shrine, forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me but I was not going to be stopped today.”
Nothing will stop us to pay homage to our martyrs. @OmarAbdullah #ShaheedMazar#KhawjaBazar#RemembringMartyrs pic.twitter.com/tttjfvWpKM
— Salman Sagar (@salmanalisagar) July 14, 2025
The visit came a day after the homes of Omar Abdullah, his cabinet, NC legislators and leaders from the PDP, People’s Conference and J&K Apni Party were locked down by authorities, preventing them from paying homage on July 13. It marked the first time an elected Chief Minister was not allowed to visit the martyrs’ graveyard on Martyrs’ Day.
Omar had earlier remarked, “Unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K.”
The Srinagar district administration had denied permission to all political parties to visit the graveyard or hold gatherings there, citing security concerns.
Until 2019, July 13 was officially observed as Martyrs’ Day in Jammu and Kashmir in memory of the 22 civilians killed by Dogra forces under Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule in 1931. Following the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the former state into two Union Territories, the day was removed from the list of gazetted holidays by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration in 2020.
