'Locked inside our houses': CM Omar Abdullah reports curbs on July 13

July 13, 2025 by News Desk

Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir said that several Kashmiri legislators have been put under house detention.

Restrictions were imposed across Srinagar on Sunday to prevent public gatherings at the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta, where people traditionally assemble on July 13 to pay tribute to the 22 civilians killed by Dogra forces in 1931.

“In a blatantly undemocratic move homes have been locked from the outside, police and central forces deployed as jailers and major bridges in Srinagar blocked. All to stop people from visiting a historically important graveyard containing the graves of people who laid down their lives to give Kashmiris a voice and to empower them. I will never understand what the Law and Order government is so afraid of,” Omar Abdullah said.

He added, “13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today but we will not forget their sacrifices.”

Tanvir Sadiq, Member of Legislative Assembly from Zadibal, said he was also confined to his home.

“Since last night, I like many of my colleagues, including the party leadership at Gupkar, the Advisor to the Chief Minister, and a majority of sitting MLAs have been locked inside my home,” he said.

“This is not just unfortunate; it is a deliberate attempt to suppress remembrance and deny us the right to honour the martyrs of July 13. Such actions are not only unnecessary, they are unjustified, deeply insensitive, and reveal a troubling disregard for history,” Sadiq added.

The Srinagar Police issued a public advisory on Saturday evening.

“The District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13th July 2025 (Sunday). The general public is hereby advised to strictly comply with these instructions and refrain from violating the orders issued by District Administration. Any violation of these orders shall invite strict legal action under relevant provisions of law,” the advisory said.

Martyrs’ Day, observed on July 13 each year, commemorates the killing of 22 civilians outside Srinagar Central Jail in 1931.

It was declared an official state event in 1948 by Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah. The day was removed from the official calendar in 2018 after the imposition of central rule in Jammu Kashmir.