‘Heroes projected as villains only because they were Muslims’: Omar Abdullah slams curbs on July 13 Martyrs’ Day
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday slammed the Centre over the curbs on July 13 Martyrs’ Day, and said that the sacrifices of those who stood up to British rule should not be forgotten.
In a post on X, Abdullah said the 13th July massacre is “our Jallianwala Bagh”, adding, “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.”
In another post, Abdullah further alleged that several homes were “locked” from the outside, central forces were deployed as “jailers,” and bridges in Srinagar were blocked to “stop” people from visiting a “historically important” graveyard.
In a post on X, the JK CM said the graveyard contains the graves of those who “laid down their lives to give Kashmiris a voice” and criticised the administration’s actions as undemocratic.
“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,” Abdullah wrote.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday stated that the “dil ki doori” (distance of hearts) between Kashmir and the rest of India can only be bridged when the Centre recognises and honours Kashmir’s heroes as its own, just as Kashmiris have embraced national icons.
“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.
(This is a developing story)
