Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, National Conference (JKNC) chief Farooq Abdullah and others pay tribute to July 13 martyrs at Naqshband Sahib graveyard in Old City of Srinagar, Monday, July 14, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Strongly condemning the police manhandling of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar, the Left parties accused Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha of undermining the smooth functioning of the duly elected State government.
The CPI(M) Polit Bureau, in a statement in New Delhi, said that the Central government headed by the BJP is trying to enforce its own diktats and regressive points of view. The abolition of holiday on Martyrs’ Day is an example of this, it said. “On the other hand, the birthday of the Maharaja, responsible for killing freedom fighters, is declared a holiday. The Lt. Governor appointed by the Central government is undermining the smooth functioning of the duly elected State government,” the Polit Bureau said.
The CPI(M) also criticised the house arrest of various J&K political leaders, including CPI(M)’s Yusuf Tarigami, who were prevented from paying homage to the martyrs. The party demanded that the holiday on Martyrs’ Day be restored “to respect and protect the democratic rights of the people of J&K”. It also demanded an apology from the Lt. Governor for the “assault” on the CM.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah jumped over the boundary wall of Mazar-e-Shuhada to recite prayers after he was allegedly stopped by the security forces, in Srinagar on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
‘Breach of democratic norms’
CPI general secretary D. Raja said that the incident was “utterly unacceptable”.
“This is not just a breach of democratic norms. It’s a blatant assault on our conscience and a reminder of how far governance in J&K has fallen under authoritarian unaccountable rule. CPI demands immediate restoration of statehood — no ifs, no buts — so that the people’s representatives can truly serve, instead of being silenced and subjugated,” he posted on X.
Mr. Abdullah, in a post on X, said that he was blocked from offering prayers at the graves of the martyrs on Sunday, at Naqsbandh Sahib shrine at Khawaja Bazar, where 22 civilians killed during an uprising against the Dogra ruler were buried. The Chief Minister scaled the fenced wall of the premises because the security forces had blocked the entrance of the graveyard. A police officer made a bid to stop him from offering ‘fateha’ at the graveyard.
Published – July 14, 2025 08:05 pm IST