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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Omar Abdullah quotes late Arun Jaitley as he alleges ‘house arrest' in Kashmir: ‘Tyranny of unelected'
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah alleged on Sunday that he was "locked up" inside his house in Srinagar soon after he returned from New Delhi. J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said that even if the leaders don't visit the graveyard of the 'fallen' Kashmiris, they won't "forget their sacrifices".(PTI) He further alleged that this 'detention' was the "tyranny of the unelected". Abdullah shared pictures from outside his house, where several Jammu and Kashmir police personnel and police vehicles could be seen. 'Tyranny of unelected' "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 wrote in a post on X. "The unelected government locked up the elected government," he added. Earlier in the day, several ministers of the Omar Abdullah-led government and some Opposition leaders as well were allegedly placed under house arrest to prevent them from observing the Kashmir Martyrs' Day. However, there was no official confirmation of the house arrest claims of the leaders. The claims came as the Srinagar district magistrate on Saturday rejected the ruling National Conference's plea seeking permission to pay tribute to the 22 people who were killed by the Dogra army on July 13, 1931. In a public advisory posted on X, the Srinagar Police said, "The District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13th July 2025 (Sunday)." As leaders made claims about being placed under house arrest to prevent their visits to the Naqshband Sahib Martyrs graveyard near Nowhatta, Abdullah condemned the restrictions and termed it a "blatantly undemocratic move". "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 lives to give Kashmiris a voice & to empower them. I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of," he said. Later, in a separate X post to pay homage to the 22 people, Abdullah likened the July 13, 1931 incident to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He asserted that the leaders may be denied permission to visit their graves today, but they "will never forget their sacrifices". "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 J&K chief minister wrote. Deputy chief minister Surinder Chaudhary, who was in Jammu, also claimed that his official residence in Kashmir was locked by the administration. "This is our condition. Locking a deputy chief minister, ministers and MLAs is a threat to democracy," he said, demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. 'The nation that forgets its martyrs does not last long. Those who laid down their lives in 1931 were unarmed civilians fighting for their rights. They were not driven by religion or fighting against any community,' the deputy chief minister told reporters at the National Conference headquarters. Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (JKPDP/PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti had also posted on X that leaders of her party, who were on their way to the 'martyrs' grave, had been 'detained in police stations', while others were 'locked' in their homes. "The day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the 'dil ki doori' (distance of hearts) will truly end," she said in a post on X. Mufti further wrote, "When you lay siege to the Martyrs' Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes. July 13th commemorates our martyrs those who rose against tyranny, much like countless others across the country. They will always be our heroes. ALSO READ | J&K: Hurriyat chairman Mirwair Umar Farooq alleges house arrest, says 'not allowed to offer prayers' Continuing with its regressive policies many of our party leaders like Khurshid Allam , Zohaib Mir , Hamid Kohsheen, Arif Liagroo, Sara Nayeema, Tabassum , Basharat Naseem and others who managed to sneak out of their homes have been detained in police stations . They were on their way to Mazar e shuda." The PDP chief said it seemed like things are getting back into "the oppressive times that our 13 July Martyrs fought against". Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone also claimed that he had been stopped from leaving his residence. "Not allowed to move out of home. Detained. I don't know why the union government is so keen to redefine what is sacred for the people of Kashmir. The sacrifices rendered on July 13 are sacred for all of us," he posted on X. Lone said that stopping people from going to the "marytrs graveyard" only elevates their sacrifices to a "new high". He added, 'Histories that are etched in blood don't vanish.' What happened on July 13, 1931? Thousands of Kashmiris were protesting outside the central jail in Srinagar to support Abdul Qadar. He used to call on Kashmiris against the Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh. Qadar was charged with sedition. However, the massive protests forced the Dogra ruler's forces to open fire, resulting in the deaths of 22 people. In Jammu and Kashmir, July 13 used to be a public holiday before the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union territories in August 2019. However, the administration dropped the day from the gazetted holidays list in 2020. Top political leaders used to visit the "martyrs' graveyard" to pay tributes to the Kashmiris who fell to the bullets of the Dogra army while protesting against the rule of the Maharaja.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Unelected govt locked up elected govt": J-K CM on Martyrs Day amid heavy police presence at Gupkar Road
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 13 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah acknowledged Martyrs Day on Sunday, amid heavy police deployment outside 40 Gupkar Road, Srinagar, the official residence of the J&K CM. The Chief Minister on X shared pictures of police outside his residence, with armoured vehicles parked and movement restricted, as the regional parties, including the National Conference (NC), were denied permission to visit the martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar. '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,' CM Abdullah wrote in a post on X. 'The unelected government locked up the elected government,' his post added. The J-K CM has also compared Kashmir's Martyrs Day to Punjab's Jallianwalah Bagh massacre, saying, '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.' Earlier on Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq has also alleged that several party leaders had been confined to their homes to stop them from paying tribute to the martyrs. 'Since last night, I like many of my colleagues, including the party leadership at Gupkar, the Advisor to the Chief Minister, and a majority of sitting MLAs have been locked inside my home. This is not just unfortunate; it is a deliberate attempt to suppress remembrance and deny us the right to honour the martyrs of July 13. Such actions are not only unnecessary they are unjustified, deeply insensitive, and reveal a troubling disregard for history,' Sadiq posted on X. Amid the controversy of not being allowed to visit the martyrs graveyard, People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti said that the 'dil ki doori (distance of hearts)' between Kashmir and the rest of India would end when the Centre accepts Kashmir's heroes as its own, just as Kashmiris have embraced national figures. 'The day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Sing, that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the 'dil ki doori' (distance of hearts) will truly end,' the PDP chief wrote on X. 'When you lay siege to the Martyrs' Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes. July 13th commemorates our martyrs, those who rose against tyranny, much like countless others across the country. They will always be our heroes,' she added. Martyrs' Day in Kashmir was earlier an official holiday in the state; it was delisted after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. (ANI)
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Martyrs Day clampdown: ‘Jammu and Kashmir government under detention' to prevent visits to graveyard; CM calls it a ‘shame'
File photo: J&K CM Omar Abdullah SRINAGAR/JAMMU: J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah was barred Sunday from visiting a graveyard of 1931 martyrs in Srinagar, and most of his cabinet colleagues were detained in their homes along with scores of others to keep them away from the site, virtually putting the National Conference (NC) govt under lockdown. Among the other key political figures J&K police confined to their homes were Omar's father and NC president Farooq Abdullah, former ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti and Peoples Conference chief and MLA Sajad Lone. Omar called the restrictions a 'shame' and described '13th July massacre as our Jallianwala Bagh' as he slammed the first such clampdown since his govt took charge in Oct 2024. The Omar-led govt does not control police or security, whose reins are in the hands of the Centre-appointed lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha, an arrangement that took shape after the 2019 abrogation of J&K's special status under Article 370. Nasir Aslam Wani, Omar's political adviser, said the CM had been outside J&K and returned to Srinagar on Sunday but was not allowed to proceed towards Naqshband Sahib, the resting place of 22 people killed during an uprising against Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh on July 13, 1931. The date is significant in Kashmir's history. According to Wani, Omar remained in his house after being stopped. Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary of NC was in Jammu but his Srinagar house was locked. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Apply for NRI Account Online HSBC Undo Wani said he himself had been shut in since 3 am Sunday. 'An elected government was placed under house detention in J&K by the very people who hailed the 2024 assembly elections as a triumph of democracy. The irony is not just strange, it is tragic,' NC spokesman Tanvir Sadiq told TOI. Omar expressed anger, calling the curbs 'blatantly undemocratic' with troops deployed as jailers and major bridges in Srinagar blocked. 'I will never understand what the law-and-order govt is so afraid of,' Omar said in a swipe at authorities under LG Sinha. Since early Sunday, authorities shut down major routes. Security was tightened at Gupkar Road, home to top politicians including Farooq, Omar, education minister Sakina Itoo and CPM MLA MY Tarigami. I too posted that she had been 'put under house arrest since last (Saturday) night'. The NC head office was sealed with concertina wire. PDP office was shut, too. A popular Sunday flea market in the Lal Chowk area was not allowed. All roads leading to the graveyard at Naqshband Sahib were closed. Senior cops were at the site. Amid the restrictions, Omar sought to counter the established narrative on the 1931 uprising by likening it to Jallianwala Bagh and claiming it was against the British. '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 posted. PDP chief Mehbooba called for 'acceptance' of the martyrs. 'The day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh, that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the dil ki doori (distance of hearts) will truly end,' Mehbooba said. Former PDP minister Naeem Akhtar, also locked in, posted that 'it feels like we are in 1931'. In Jammu, the BJP leader of opposition, Sunil Sharma, sought to contest projections of the 1931 episode as martyrdom. He had sparked bedlam in the assembly this March by calling the martyrs 'traitors'. 'Communal violence was given a false narrative of martyrdom. The recent remarks by Omar, equating Islamist rioters with freedom fighters, are an insult to the nation and its true freedom struggle,' Sharma said Sunday. Deputy CM Choudhary hit back with a veiled jab at the BJP. 'If they admire Nathuram Godse, who killed Mahatma Gandhi, what's wrong in remembering the July 13 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the rights of people?' Choudhary asked as NC functionaries in Jammu paid tributes.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
13th July massacre is Jallianwala Bagh for Kashmiris: CM Omar Abdullah
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday placed restrictions in several parts of Srinagar city and disallowed political parties from visiting Martyrs' Graveyard to commemorate the killing of 22 Kashmiris by Dogra forces on this day in 1931. Chief minister Omar Abdullah said the ' 13th July massacre ' is the Jallianwala Bagh for people of this region and their sacrifices cannot be forgotten. "The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled by British Paramountcy," said Abdullah adding, "What a shame that the 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." Some of the political leaders including legislators from ruling National Conference like Tanvir Sadiq, former CM Mehbooba Mufti , Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Sajad Lone informed through social media platforms that they were placed under house arrest. Some NC activists led by Salman Sagar, MLA from Srinagar, held brief protests against the administration. Several activists of other political parties were detained when they were on their way to Martyrs' Graveyard. The weekly Sunday flea market was shut and police and paramilitary forces were deployed on all major roads leading to Martyrs' Graveyard in Khawaja Bazar of Srinagar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo Will always be our heroes: Mufti "The day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours - from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh - that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the 'dil ki doori' will truly end," said Mufti, adding, "When you lay siege to the Martyrs' Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes... They will always be our heroes." PC's Sajad Lone said he doesn't understand why the Centre is so keen to redefine what is sacred for the people of Kashmir. Live Events
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Martyrs day: Kashmir leaders say they are under house arrest, Omar calls it ‘undemocratic move'
There was no official confirmation to the house arrest claims made by the leaders. Srinagar, Jul 13 (PTI) Prominent political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday claimed they have been placed under house arrest to prevent them from paying homage to the 22 persons killed by the Dogra army on this day in 1931, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah terming the move as 'blatantly undemocratic'. '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,' the chief minister said on X. In 1919, hundreds of people protesting peacefully against the Rowlatt Acts, which granted the colonial administration repressive powers, were gunned down by British forces without any provocation at the Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab's Amritsar. Abdullah said, 'We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today but we will not forget their sacrifices'. In an earlier post, Abdullah criticised the house detention of the leaders as a 'blatantly undemocratic move'. '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 lives to give Kashmiris a voice & to empower them. I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of,' he said. Opposition PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the mistrust between Delhi and Kashmiris will truly end only when India accepted Kashmiri 'martyrs' as their own. 'The day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the 'dil ki doori' (distance of hearts) will truly end,' she said in a post on X. The former chief minister posted pictures of a locked gate to her residence. 'When you lay siege to the Martyrs' Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes. July 13th commemorates our martyrs those who rose against tyranny, much like countless others across the country. They will always be our heroes,' she said. The former chief minister claimed several leaders of her party who managed to sneak out of their homes have been detained at various police stations. 'Continuing with its regressive policies many of our party leaders like Khurshid Allam, Zohaib Mir, Hamid Kohsheen, Arif Liagroo, Sara Nayeema, Tabassum, Basharat Naseem and others who managed to sneak out of their homes have been detained in police stations. They were on their way to Mazar e shuda. It seems we are getting back into the oppressive times that our 13 July Martyrs fought against,' she claimed. Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone also claimed that he has been stopped from leaving his residence. 'Not allowed to move out of home. Detained. I don't know why the union government is so keen to redefine what is sacred for the people of sacrifices rendered on July 13 are sacred for all of us,' he said. Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who has been under house arrest since Friday, said Kashmir bears witness to the painful saga of the sacrifices made by its sons and daughters. 'The Martyrs of July 13, 1931 led this quest by standing up to the tyranny of the rulers of the day, laying down their lives. Today, Kashmir remembers and honours them. We may be put in jails or under house arrests and threatened with dire consequences, and the martyrs' graveyards may be sealed and blocked, but they live in our hearts and in our memory and will continue to, generation after generation,' he posted on X. The leaders claimed they were placed under house arrest to prevent them from visiting the Naqshband Sahib Martyrs graveyard near Nowhatta in the old city. The Srinagar district magistrate on Saturday rejected the ruling National Conference's plea seeking permission to pay homage to the 22 people. The party, in an application sent to the district magistrate, stated that NC president Farooq Abdullah and other senior functionaries intend to visit the graveyard of 'martyrs' at Naqshband Sahib near Nowhatta on Sunday. 'The District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13th July 2025 (Sunday),' Srinagar Police said in a public advisory posted on its handle on X on Saturday. July 13 used to be a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir before the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union territories in August 2019. However, the administration dropped the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020. On the day, mainstream political leaders used to visit the 'martyrs' graveyard' to pay homage to the Kashmiris who fell to the bullets of the Dogra army while protesting against the rule of the Maharaja. PTI MIJ DV DV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
