Kashmir’s chief cleric and moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest to prevent him from addressing the Friday gathering at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid, prompting him to claim he was being prevented from speaking about the July 13 martyrs.
The Mirwaiz on Friday joined pro-India politicians in announcing plans to visit the Srinagar graveyard of 22 people who fell to the bullets of Dogra rulers on July 13, 1931, that had marked the formal launch of a movement against their autocratic rule.
July 13 used to be a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir, but the lieutenant governor’s administration scrapped it soon after the 2019 abrogation of special status to align the Union Territory’s politics with the larger Hindutva politics. Political parties have since been barred from visiting the graveyard, also called Mazar-e-Shohda.
The administration had instead declared a holiday on September 23, the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler, accused by Kashmiris of ordering the July 13 killings and a crackdown that followed.
The ruling National Conference has written to the Srinagar administration requesting permission to visit the graveyard to pay homage to the martyrs. The Opposition Peoples Democratic Party and other parties have also announced plans to visit the site.
While the LG’s administration is not revealing the reason, the Mirwaiz linked his house detention to the observance of Martyrs’ Day.
“Disallowed from going to the Jama Masjid today, put under house arrest, fearing the mention of the martyrs of 13th July, 1931, in my Friday sermon. The sacrifice of these martyrs and all the martyrs since is etched in the collective memory of Kashmir and cannot be undone by restrictions and bans. No living nation can forget the supreme sacrifice of the life of its martyrs against tyranny and injustice,” Mirwaiz wrote on X.
The chief cleric urged authorities to remove the restrictions and “allow people to peacefully pay homage to the martyrs of 13th July”.
“If allowed as per our tradition, we will visit the martyrs’ graveyard on July 13th after Zuhr prayers and pay homage to the revered martyrs,” he said, posting a picture of policemen deployed outside his Nagin home.
NC chief spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq expressed concern over the Mirwaiz’s house arrest.
“It’s deeply unfortunate and unacceptable that @MirwaizKashmir Umar Farooq Sahab has once again been detained at home, prevented from fulfilling his religious duties. Silencing a religious leader, especially a day before 13th July, dishonours not just his voice but the legacy of our martyrs,” Sadiq said in a post on X.
Sadiq said July 13 was a turning point in Kashmir’s history, a brave stand against tyranny and injustice, and no restrictions could erase the memory of that sacrifice. “Kashmir will always honour its martyrs with dignity, peace and truth,” he said.
The NC leader vowed that the July 13 holiday would be restored. “As far as we are concerned, we have made a promise. We will definitely bring the holiday on 13th July and bring it as soon as possible,” he told reporters.