Locked gates of Martyrs Graveyard, a first in 89 yrs

It was an unusual break from nearly a century-old tradition that J&K’s grand old political party National Conference leaders couldn’t visit the graves of the men who laid their lives 89 years ago on 13 July 1931 fighting against the autocratic Maharaja Rule.

The party instead of paying its customary visit to the Martyrs Graveyard or ‘Mazaar-e-Shohada’ in Downtown Srinagar paid its tributes on Twitter only, sharing a historic picture of the funeral of 22 slain Kashmiris held in Jamia Masjid.

   

Sources told the Greater Kashmir that though NC had applied for permission to be allowed to carry on with the tradition, it was denied. Similarly, permission was also denied to the J&K Apni Party.

Armoured police vehicles with security men maintained a tight vigil outside the locked gates of Martyrs Graveyard, also housing the revered shrine of Khwaja Naqashband Sahib (RA).

Instead of flowers scattered all over and garlands placed on every epitaph at Martyrs Graveyard, a common scene on the day, there is nothing today. Pigeons inside the locked gates are pecking on corn crumbs splashed day before by devotees, who come to seek divine help for end to their pain and sufferings.

Residents of the locality said they have “missed” their “heartbeat” today. There have been no bugles, no shrieks  and no official guard of honoor for the men who laid their lives to end the autocracy.

Sexagenarian Abdul Rashid Shawl, a former banker living in adjacent locality to Martyrs Graveyard at Daribal Khwaja Bazar is sullen today. He remembers how there used to be “festivities” and “a kind of reverence” in his area on the day. Today, it has been all gloomy.

July 13 was declared as Martyrs Day by then Prime Minister of J&K Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1948. The day was commemorated in remembrance of 22 people who fell to bullets of Dogra ruler in 1931, following their protest outside present day Central Jail during the trial of Abdul Qadeer Khan charged with sedition. Chef of a foreigner in Kashmir, Qadeer was accused for “flaring” public passions through his “fiery” speech at Khanqah-e-Moula earlier that year.

After the declaration of SM Abdullah as the day to be celebrated as Martyrs Day, erstwhile J&K state’s official machinery including ministers, opposition parties, bureaucrats and police officers used to pay their tributes in person or through official programs on the day. However, following abrogation of J&K’s special Constitutional status and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories, July 13 has been dropped from list of official holidays in J&K.

Noted historian Prem Nath Bazaz has termed the day as “watershed moment in Kashmir’s socio political history” in his book ‘Inside Kashmir.’ Australian political scientist and analyst Christopher Snowden in his book ‘Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris’ terms the significance of the day as: “The uprising resulted in the rise of many prominent young voices such as SM Abdullah to the forefront”.

Back at his home, which once used to house a Jabree school during Maharaja’s rule, Shawl remembers how once “vibrant public event” in his childhood and youth days gradually turned into a “hush hush political affair” of mainstream political parties in Kashmir’s changed political landscape.

“And today, there was nothing but silence. But don’t you feel that it was more loud?” he quipped.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

fifteen − two =