PDP, NC leaders accuse J&K administration of locking residents inside homes, blocking access to Srinagar’s Martyrs’ Graveyard on July 13
Srinagar, July 13:
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday strongly criticized the Union Territory administration, saying the emotional and political divide between Kashmir and the rest of India will only end when Kashmir’s martyrs are embraced as national heroes, just as Kashmiris have honoured Indian icons like Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh.
Her statement came in response to allegations that the administration denied political parties permission to visit Srinagar’s Martyrs’ Graveyard on July 13, a day marked annually to commemorate the lives lost during the 1931 uprising against autocratic rule in Kashmir. Residents and leaders alike were allegedly confined to their homes, with bridges and routes blocked to restrict access.
“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,” Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“When you lay siege to the Martyrs’ Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes,” she added. “July 13 commemorates our martyrs, those who rose against tyranny, much like countless others across the country. They will always be our heroes.”
National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah echoed the criticism, alleging that central forces were deployed like “jailers,” homes locked from outside, and Srinagar’s major bridges barricaded. He condemned the administration’s tactics as “blatantly undemocratic.”
“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. I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of,” Omar said in a social media post.
Abdullah also likened the July 13 killings to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, saying that these martyrs stood against British rule and should not be vilified for their religious identity.
“The 13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule are projected as villains only because they were Muslims,” he wrote. “We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today, but we will not forget their sacrifices.”
JKNC chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq further claimed that party leaders, including those from Gupkar, were locked inside their homes overnight.
“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 deeply insensitive and reveal a troubling disregard for history,” Sadiq stated on X.
The July 13 Martyrs’ Day, once observed officially in Jammu and Kashmir until 2019, marks the killing of 22 civilians in 1931 by forces of the Dogra Maharaja outside Srinagar Central Jail. The day remains symbolically important for regional parties, seen as a tribute to those who laid the foundation of Kashmir’s political consciousness.