Jammu/July, 13 : Amid government restriction on the annual attendance at the graveyard of July13, 1931 “martyrs” at Srinagar martyrs graveyard, National Conference the oldest and biggest mainstream political party of Jammu and Kashmir while paying tributes to ‘martyrs of July 13, 1931, on ‘Martyrs Day’, put up a black and white picture of July 13, 1931, on its twitter handle to remind people of Jammu & Kashmir of the happening of this day 89 years ago in Srinaar. The picture shows bodies of “July 13,1931 martyrs” lying on cots and a huge crowd offering funeral prayers.
The photograph was captioned: “NC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Mr. @OmarAbdullah pay glowing tributes to the Martyrs of 13th July, 1931 on Martyrs day today.”
Jammu and Kashmir’s mainstream parties have been observing this day as the ‘Martyrs Day’, to commemorate the memory of people killed while protesting against the monarchy. The police have cordoned off all areas to prevent anyone from reaching the graveyard where the bodies were buried. Over the years, all mainstream parties of Jammu and Kashmir and their leaders would make it a point to offer floral tributes and the day was listed as a state holiday. The NC and other parties have issued statements hailing the “martyrs” and their contribution in starting a “struggle for freedom from tyranny.”
The statement of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah whose father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was the dominated the political scene for more than 50 years in Jammu & Kashmir, 1931 is being recalled to send a message of sacrifices against the imperialist dogra rule in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state downgraded to a union territory on August 5,2019.
