First time since 1948, Jammu & Kashmir didn’t observe Martyr's Day as holiday

For the first time since 1948, there was no holiday and official function to commemorate the martyr's day in Jammu and Kashmir. Officials that the official function to commemorate the martyr’s days was not held as the official holiday of July 13 in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was omitted after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A in August last year.

A senior official said that in December last year, the list of gazetted holidays had no mention of martyr’s days on July 13, which was observed in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir to pay homage to July 13 , 1931 martyr’s.

Regional political parties used to pay homage to the martyrs on this day while the successive governments would organize official functions to commemorate this day in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir would commemorate July 13 as martyrs’ day and chief minister, ministers and DGPs used to pay tributes at the official programmes across the then state of J&K Local agency KNO reported.

However, following the revocation of Article 370 on August 5 last year, the government had issued a list of gazetted holidays for the newly carved Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir wherein July 13 was omitted from the list.

The then prime minister of J&K, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, had declared July 13 as martyrs’ day in memory of those who revolted against the Dogra rule on July 13, 1931. Twenty-two people were killed in the protest against the then Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh.

December 5, the birth anniversary of former J&K Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah was also omitted from the list of official holidays in December last year.

In the new list of gazetted holidays, the government, however, declared October 26 as a gazetted holiday. On this day in 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh had signed the “Instrument of Accession” with the dominion of India.

Meanwhile, National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Conference (PC), CPI (M) and Apni Party paid tributes to the July 13 martyr’s by issuing party statements.

Here’s what happened

In 1931, Jammu and Kashmir were ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh. The British wanted Singh to lease them Gilgit Agency - a system of administration established by British Indian Empire to strengthen Jammu and Kashmir. Singh denied. The British were aware of the vulnerable point. Singh was a Hindu king who ruled Muslims. The British decided to brainwash the Muslims.

The Dogra Governor Ray Zada Tartilok Chand ordered the soldiers to open fire on him. After he was killed, another Kashmiri stood up to
continue the prayer. He too was killed. This continued. A total of 22 Kashmiris were killed delivering the aazan.

The then prime minister of J&K, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, had declared July 13 as martyrs’ day in memory of those who revolted against the Dogra rule on July 13, 1931. Twenty-two people were killed in the protest against the then Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh.

While Kashmir commemorated the day as martyrs’ day and chief minister, ministers and DGPs used to pay tributes at the official programmes across the then state of J&K, in recent years Jammu had started observing it as a ‘black’ day.

Pro-Jammu parties used to hold protest rallies wearing black armbands to express their resentment against the decision of successive Kashmir centric governments.

The parties also included Kashmiri Pandits, who called July 13, 1931, as the first-ever communal attack on religious minorities in J&K.

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