Barricades, House Arrests in Srinagar Ahead of 1931 Martyrs Day Anniversary

On the eve of the 95th anniversary of the 1931 uprising against Dogra rule, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir barricaded roads leading to the Naqshband Sahib shrine in Srinagar, which houses the graves of 22 civilians killed during the revolt. The Jammu and Kashmir Police parked vehicles at the shrine's gates, locals said, and additional barricades were erected to prevent regional leaders from paying tributes on July 13.

Since the central government abrogated Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019, the Lieutenant Governor's administration has barred regional parties from visiting the graveyard and honouring the dead. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha removed July 13 as an official holiday from the calendar after 2019. In 2025, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah scaled the boundary walls to pay tribute at the shrine.

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti claimed that she and her mother, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, had been placed under house arrest. “This is the normalcy they claim to have established in Kashmir? Make no mistake, the local government too is hand in glove using police in Sidhra to demolish homes and place opponents in detention when convenient,” Ms. Mufti said.

Ruling National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah, in a joint statement, described July 13, 1931 as a “defining chapter” in Jammu and Kashmir’s struggle for justice, dignity, and democratic rights. “21 unarmed Kashmiris were killed on July 13, 1931, after demanding basic civil and political rights. It laid the foundation for the people’s long struggle led by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah for human rights and dignity,” they said. The NC, they added, remains the “true custodian” of the legacy of the martyrs.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah is expected to proceed to the martyrs' graveyard at Naqshband Sahib to pay homage on the occasion.

Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference president and legislator Sajjad Gani Lone accused the present dispensation of “relegating history to irrelevance while substituting governance with political spectacle.” He said: “This government has made no sincere effort to restore this public holiday, honouring the sacrifice of our native heroes. It has chosen theatre over truth, rhetoric over resolve, and in doing so, has turned its back on history itself.”

A spokesperson for Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said the sacrifice of 1931 remains “a timeless symbol of courage, dignity and the struggle for justice.”