Barricades come up in Srinagar on eve of 1931 revolt anniversary

The J&K authorities on Sunday (July 12, 2026) barricaded the roads leading to the Naqshband Sahib shrine, which houses the graves of 22 civilians killed during an uprising against the Dogra monarchy in 1931.

The J&K Police had parked vehicles at the gates of the shrine, locals here said. Barricades have also been erected on the roads to stop regional leaders from paying tributes at the shrine on July 13, the anniversary of the revolt.

Since the Centre ended J&K’s special status in 2019, the L-G administration has disallowed regional parties from visiting the graveyard and paying tributes. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha removed July 13 as an official holiday from the calendar after 2019. In 2025, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah scaled the boundary walls to pay tribute at the shrine.  

Opposition PDP leader Iltija Mufti said that she and her mother Mehbooba Mufti had been placed under house arrest on the eve of ‘Martyrs Day’. “This is the normalcy they claim to have established in Kashmir? Make no mistake, the local government too is hand in glove using police in Sidhra to demolish homes and place opponents in detention when convenient,” Ms. Mufti said.

“The 95th Youm-e-Shohada reminds of the defining chapter in Jammu and Kashmir’s struggle for justice, dignity and democratic rights,” ruling National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and the party’s vice president Omar Abdullah, said in a joint statement.

They described July 13, 1931 as a historic watershed that ignited a mass movement against autocracy, oppression and injustice in the erstwhile princely State. “21 unarmed Kashmiris were killed on July 13, 1931, after demanding basic civil and political rights. It laid the foundation for the people’s long struggle led by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah for human rights and dignity,” they said.

The NC remains the true custodian of the legacy of the July 13 “martyrs” and was “committed to carrying forward their mission of building a just, prosperous and peaceful Jammu and Kashmir”, the Abdullahs said.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah is expected to proceed to the ‘martyrs’ graveyard’ at Naqshband Sahib to pay homage on the occasion.

J&K Peoples Conference president and legislator Sajjad Gani Lone said the martyrs of July 13, 1931 were “inscribed not merely in history but in the collective conscience of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”. He accused the present dispensation of “relegating history to irrelevance while substituting governance with political spectacle”.

“This government has made no sincere effort to restore this public holiday, honouring the sacrifice of our native heroes. It has chosen theatre over truth, rhetoric over resolve, and in doing so, has turned its back on history itself,” Mr. Lone said.

The sacrifice of 1931 has become a timeless symbol of courage, dignity and the struggle for justice, a spokesperson of Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said. “Their memory remains etched in our collective consciousness and will continue to inspire generations,” the spokesperson said.