Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah climbed over a cemetery wall to pay tributes to 22 martyrs killed during the 1931 Dogra rule, after police blocked access to the graveyard on July 13 - a date marking a pivotal moment in the region's history.
National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar explains that Abdullah and his ministers were prevented from entering the Mazar Shohda through normal routes, forcing them to scale the wall to offer prayers. "He didn't break any law," Dar insists, noting no restriction orders were issued for the day, unlike the previous day when the Chief Minister was placed under house arrest.
The incident highlights tensions between the elected government and the Lieutenant Governor's administration, which controls police. Dar questions why the BJP administration, which claims normalcy has returned to Kashmir, continues imposing restrictions on traditional commemorative practices. "They even stopped Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from going to Jamia Masjid on Friday," he notes.
The BJP has labelled the tribute as promoting a "separatist narrative", a charge Dar rejects, arguing these were freedom fighters who opposed British-backed rulers. The National Conference hopes the Centre will introduce statehood legislation in Parliament's upcoming August session, potentially ending the current dual governance structure.
00:00I'm joined by National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar, who would talk about today's incident.
00:06Chief Minister Omar Abdullah went to the graveyard where 22 people are buried who fought the Dogra rule in 1931.
00:16He would brief us about today's incident.
00:20The Chief Minister climbed the wall and offered tributes to the 22 people who were killed during the Dogra rule in 1931.
00:31So, Imran Sab, Omar Sab went there.
00:35So, like yesterday there were curbs in that area and today he went there and he paid the tributes.
00:44So, how significant is it and what does it mean?
00:48See, if you go into the history of Jammu Kashmir, you would understand how important July 13 is for the present, the Jammu Kashmir that we see.
01:01We as an entity and as a bloc came into existence because of these martyrs.
01:08If they would not have started that fight against a regime which was very oppressive, then probably we would not have been in such a situation where we could have made our own destiny.
01:24Now, coming back to paying tributes, I mean, this has been going on for decades altogether.
01:31It is not a new thing.
01:33I don't understand what irritation does the BGP have with these martyrs that they stopped.
01:41Yesterday was the day when the leadership was supposed to go to the gravesite and offer their tributes to the fallen heroes.
01:51We would just go and offer Fatiha like a normal, like we used to do.
01:58There was no congregation.
02:01There were no function.
02:03There was no such thing as a political function which could have, as per their understanding, disturbed law and order.
02:10It was very silly of them to put restrictions yesterday.
02:13So, today when there were no restrictions and clearly there were no orders.
02:18Umar sahab didn't break any rule.
02:19When he just went there to offer his tributes to the fallen heroes as he has been doing all along, as National Conference has been doing all along.
02:28So, he went ahead and unfortunately he was stopped and there was no order of restriction.
02:34Government had not issued.
02:35There was no restriction order today.
02:38So, it was bizarre that Umar sahab was stopped.
02:41He was physically manhandled also by some officers which is clearly visible from the videos that are there right now being circulated on social media.
02:56It is very unfortunate the way Javukishmi police behaved today because he didn't, obviously he and his council of ministers along with honourable MLAs, they didn't break any law.
03:09They just went to the Mazar Shodha to offer tributes and they were forced to scale, climb over the wall because the door towards Mazar Shodha was closed.
03:19It was very unfortunate.
03:20In spite of that, all our ministers including the Honourable Chief Minister offered and recited Fatiha at the grave site of 22 shohadas.
03:32Before this incident, the police issued an advisory day before this incident.
03:37Police issued an advisory that all those people who go there will face the law.
03:41That was for yesterday.
03:42That was for yesterday.
03:43Not for today.
03:44That was for yesterday.
03:45So yesterday, the Chief Minister's residence was also sort of sealed.
03:50He was not allowed yesterday as well.
03:53And that advisory, the people could not go on their own.
03:57And so there could have been difficulties for the people.
03:59No, it was not only for people.
04:01I mean, they, government, the machinery, the LG machinery which handles law and order problem.
04:08And the police who reports to LG administration, in fact, stopped our leaders from moving out of their houses.
04:19Many Honourable MLAs and our senior party functionaries were under house arrest yesterday for the whole day.
04:27In fact, Chief Minister, Honourable Chief Minister Umar Sahab, who came down from Delhi and he reached his residence in the evening.
04:34As soon as he entered his house, immediately there was a JNK police column which came out and they put a log outside his residence.
04:46So he was also under house arrest in the evening and I think till late night, I think by 1 a.m. the police party had left his place.
04:59So obviously today there was no restriction.
05:02There were no orders.
05:02In spite of that, the administration tried to stop Umar Sahab reaching the gravesite, which is clearly unnecessary, which was not necessary to stop him.
05:17And Umar Sahab didn't break any law.
05:19I mean, there was no restriction orders from the DC or from any authority.
05:22So why do you think the BGP did it?
05:24Because they are saying that everything is normal and then people have been allowed previously to take out processions, which was on the occasion of the monoram.
05:32I think BGP, you need to ask this question to BGP people.
05:36They go around the world telling everybody that we have absolute normalcy in Kashmir.
05:41It is not about offering tributes to these martyrs.
05:45They even stopped Mirwai's Umar Farooq to go to Jamiya Majid on Friday also.
05:51He was barred from going to Jamiya Majid.
05:54So I don't understand what logic do they have when they put such kind of restrictions.
06:00On the contrary, when they are asked about the situation in Kashmir, they say everything is normal, honky dory.
06:06But then they contradict themselves.
06:08Their own actions are contradictory.
06:10So we are also perplexed.
06:12We also need to know what exactly is going on.
06:14So the BGP says like if you ask them, they say that this is part of a separatist narrative.
06:19This is the promotion of a separatist narrative.
06:21In fact, they issued a statement immediately after Umar Saab went there.
06:26He offered the tributes there.
06:27They issued a statement.
06:28How is it a separatist narrative?
06:29They issued that this is part of a...
06:30How is this a separatist narrative?
06:33Offering prayers for those who fought against Tiremi, who fought against the system.
06:37When the whole of country was fighting against the British rule.
06:42We, the Rajas here in Jammu and Kashmir, who were behind them?
06:47It was the British.
06:48So we were actually people rose up against the British.
06:52When in other parts of the country, the normal Indians, an ordinary Indian rose against the British.
07:00So it was okay.
07:01But if a Muslim peasant, if Muslims rose against then autocratic rulers, they considered it separatism.
07:09I don't understand.
07:11BGP needs to make, understand what separatism is.
07:16I don't think they understand what separatism is.
07:18So they are just making statements for the heck of, for the heck of it.
07:21Just to create sensation out of this.
07:24It is a simple remembrance that we have been doing for ages altogether.
07:29It is not a new thing.
07:31Even when BGP was in alliance with PDP, their own government, they also went to these, to the graveyard.
07:39And the government itself offered tributes.
07:42That time it was not a problem.
07:44Now it is a problem.
07:45Only BGP can answer this.
07:46So right now the problem, do you think, is because the police administration lies with the left-hand government.
07:52There is a dual control structure.
07:54So the question arises that when will JNK get the statehood?
08:00Are you planning to knock at the Supreme Court or going to the Supreme Court?
08:03No, the party will take a final call what our next step will be.
08:08We are hopeful that the government of India will table the statehood bill in the next parliament session,
08:15which is about to begin in August, if I am not wrong.
08:18So let us wait and if whatever actions need will have to be taken,
08:23the party leadership will take the final call and we will leave the media about it.
