In April 1865, numbered in hundreds the Shawl workers took the lead against the autocratic empire of the Dogra Kings and organized a unique rising. On the historic day of April 29th, 1865, the workers joined the struggle to obtain their demands. It was perhaps the 1st organized Demand Day in the history of the class. Institute of Public Policy Research and Development (IPPRD) .
Workers from all parts of the Srinagar city marched in procession towards Zaldagar, Srinagar. They raised slogans and burnt down the effigy of Raja Kak Dhar, who was not only the Daroga of the Shawl Department but also worked as a contractor, and taken a contract from the ruler and was personally interested to suck more blood from the shawl workers- Rao Farman Ali Malik- Kashmir :A Century Struggle(1846-1948)
To quell the protesters, the Dogra regime sent its forces under the command of Colonel Baajay Singh. The workers were cornered and then charged with guns and spears. After some deaths, the procession dispersed and many protesters ran towards the bridge Haji Rather and many of them drowned after falling down into the marshy canal.
Hundreds of workers suffered injuries and at least 28 dead bodies were returned to the people by the Dogra Army.
When the Maharaja of the time, Ranbir Singh received the information about the uprising, he ordered that the protesters be dealt with severely. He ordered that the dead bodies be thrown into the water secretly.
The Maharaja also desired punitive fines be imposed on workers Patwaris and others, who had shown any support to the uprising. He further desired that punitive fines be realized from all the agitators and their leaders be arrested and punished.
Kashmir was growing in discontent with the policies of the Dogra regime- a Joint Force was launched against the Empire. The Kashmiri Pandits launched the ‘Roti Movement‘ for the security of their bread as they suspected that the Dogra ruler of brushing aside and ignoring the Pandits. Kashmiri Pandits had power and authority, and Muslims….. were forced to work to keep the idle Brahmans in comfort- Sir Walter Lawrence.
Though silent, but the discontent was growing, among both the communities and by June 1924, an incident triggered a mass agitation against the Dogra regime.
1924 was a year of massive political tumult. In June, Days after the Muslim leaders from Anantnag laid down the foundation of a pigeon tower around the famous chinar in the Sherbagh park, the Kashmiri Pandits from the town drafted letters to Maharaja Pratap Singh and on the 27th day of June in 1924, Jagmohan Singh one of the ministers reached the Anantnag township to take a stock of the situation.
Anantnag plunged into clashes between two communities over the construction of the mosque and jagmohan Singh denied the construction of the mosque. Gathered under the leadership of Qazi Qamar-u-Din, head preacher of Jamia Masjid Anantnag, the Muslims wanted to use the place for worship. By the first week of July 1924, an order was passed by the Maharaja regime objecting and ordering the construction of the Mosque be stopped.
Dogra Forces manned the streets for several days, disallowing movement of the public, People could barely move out of their houses- Documented by Ghulam Rasool Shah-Anantnag- 1927-2013.
The Maharaja regarded the Kashmiris as a race of slaves. He did not provide them with equal opportunities in trade, industry, education, jobs, agriculture, and above all for their upliftment as a community of culture. In fact, he discouraged the evolution of a regionalized community of culture in Kashmir.
The Muslims of the state, thus, became the worst sufferers from the triple dictum of racism, communalism, and classism. This was inherent in the legal philosophy of juridical structure under the Maharaja.
Wali Mohammed, a young man from Anantnag town, in his early 20s, had been taken for forced labour after he was found secretly transporting books to the head preacher and subsequently a siege was placed around the township for several days. When the news of the arrest of the brother of Qazi Qamar-u-Din spread in the town, people came out of their houses and marched towards Sherbagh.
Carrying stones on their back and shoulders, from the nearby mountain, people shouted the slogans of Allah o Akbar (Allah is great) for the construction of the mosque in open defiance of Maharaja’s order. Qazi Qamar-u-Din laid the first stone for the reconstruction of the Mosque.
The Mosque (Dara Shukoh) at the spot was built by the Persian Emperor Shikoh also known as Dara Shukoh. Shukoh was the eldest son of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan- Haji Mohammed Abdullah-Anantnag 1928-2020.
On 13th July 1931, an incident of gunfire took place at the Central Jail. The Muslim leaders from Anantnag were in constant touch with the leaders in Srinagar, eagerly waiting for any news. There were many protests organized in the valley and in this township of Anantnag too.
A call for prayers Joint prayers was issued for September 23, 1931, at the Old Eid Gah, near Stadium of Anantnag. The procession was planned from the Jamia Masjid. The other nearby mosque was in Malaknag area of the South Kashmir town.
On Wednesday, (23 September 1931), as people took out a procession from Malaknag and gathered at the compound of Jamia Masjid Anantnag. The Dogra forces reached the spot and locked down the gates of Ziyarat-e-Reshi Sahab.
By Asar Prayers as the size of the crowds swelled, a procession was taken out by Qazi Qamar-u-Din, the head pracher of Jamia Masjid. The procession from Malaknag mosque was led by Qazi Ahmadullah- Haji Mohammed Abdullah.
Reciting the slogans of Allah o Akbar, scores of people joined the procession from Malaknag and marched through the narrow streets of Cheeni Chowk, Reshi Bazar, and gathered inside the premises of Jamia Masjid.
From here, when people started marching towards the Eid Gah, however the Dogra forces intercepted them near the Lal Chowk area where the Magistrate named Rog Nath Mattoo threatened the people to not march any further. Here Qazi Ahmadullah asked the people to turn back and head towards Malaknag where Maghrib prayers would be offered.
As the procession headed back to Malaknag, through the narrow and thin streets of the town in Reshi Bazar, the Dogra Forces followed the procession. As the procession passed through the narrow streets, chaos spread. Soon the sound of bullets reverberated- 16 people had been killed, several others injured.
After killing these 16 persons, they (Dogra Forces) ran over their bodies, entered Masjids, and kicked women who had been locked inside the Jamia Masjid by men. They stood guard in the streets not allowing people to move. They were looking for more people to kill to teach the protesters “a lesson”. One person asked the Dogra Forces to not fire as they were protesting peacefully. He too was shot dead.
Among the killed was a cousin of the man leading the procession. “I saw him, his heart pierced, blood oozing down his body, he was happy to die for you,” Qazi Qamar-u-Din told people on 25th September 1931 near Martyrs graveyard besides Jamia Masjid where most of them were laid to rest. People who had never seen the guns roar, hid in coops, in cowsheds or whatever they could find. Six more people were shot dead after being dragged out from their hiding. They (Dogra forces) continued their search for humans for several hours – Ghulam Rasool Shah.
It was only after it started growing dark that Dogra forces returned to their stations and people could take back their dead. The Dogra Forces returned the next day and did not allow people to bury the dead.
They laid a siege around Jamia Masjid and blocked the movement. It was only after the intervention of local Kashmiri Pandit Leaders who met Rog Nath Mattoo who allowed the burials with conditions. The primary being, only families should be at the burial place.
Many like Jamal Wagay and Jumma Wani were buried in their ancestral graveyards after their families demanded so. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah also came to the township to pay his homage to the martyrs who were buried on 25th September 1931.
The Martyrs who are buried in the Martyrs Graveyard of Anantnag are as follows:
Abdul Rehman Malik Parentage Mohammad Malik.
Abdul Rehman Ahanger Parentage Abdul Raheem.
Peer Abdul Ghani Parentage Ghulam Hassan
Peer Wali Mohammad Maqbool Parentage Ghulam Hassan,
Ghulam Muhammad Chewu Parentage Ghulam Rasool Lassa.
Muhammad Ramzan Bhat Chicken Parentage Abdul Rehman.
Ghulam Muhammad Bhat Parentage Ahmad Bhat
Ali Muhammad Reshi Parentage Wali Muhammad Reshi
Sheikh Ghulam Rasool Parentage Ghulam Qadir
Muhammad Subhaan Sofi Parentage Wahab Sofi
Abdul Ahad Mir Parentage Abdul Gafaar Mir.
Ghulam Hassan Malik Rangrez Parentage Ghulam Muhammad Malik.
Ghulam Muhammad Zargar Parentage Habib Ullah Zargar.
Habib Ullah Wani Parentage Samad Wani.
Jumma Wani Parentage Samad Wani
Jamal Wagay Parentage Kazim Wagay.
This Article is documentation of various documents and Conversations with two renowned citizens from the Anantnag town.