Omar Abdullah Scales Wall to Pay Tribute on Martyrs’ Day Amid Restrictions in Srinagar

 Srinagar, July 14: In a dramatic show of defiance, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah climbed over a gate to access the historic Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area on Monday, after being prevented by security forces from entering the premises through regular routes.

Abdullah, accompanied by party leaders and cabinet colleagues, walked from Nawhatta Chowk after authorities restricted entry to the graveyard. Visuals captured by CNN-News18 show the former chief minister scaling the gate of the Naqshband Sahib shrine to reach the site.

“Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931. The unelected government tried to block my way, forcing me to walk from Nawhatta Chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sahib shrine, forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me, but I was not going to be stopped today,” Abdullah wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The incident occurred against the backdrop of tight restrictions imposed by the Union Territory administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, which barred political leaders from holding any events to commemorate Martyrs’ Day—an annual observance that honours 22 civilians killed by the Dogra army on July 13, 1931, during a protest outside Srinagar Central Jail.

According to party sources, several senior National Conference leaders were placed under house arrest on Sunday to prevent them from participating in memorial activities.

Traditionally, July 13 has been observed as Martyrs’ Day across Jammu and Kashmir, with political figures and citizens gathering at the Nowhatta graveyard to offer prayers and tributes. However, in a controversial move, the J&K administration removed the day from the list of official gazetted holidays in 2020, a decision that was widely criticised by regional parties who view the day as a cornerstone of Kashmir’s political identity.

Abdullah’s symbolic act of resistance on Monday has once again spotlighted the ongoing tensions between regional political leadership and the centrally administered government, particularly over the handling of historical and cultural commemorations in the Union Territory.