In a bold act of defiance against the central government, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accompanied by his cabinet ministers, ascended a railing on Monday to visit the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Nowhatta and pay their respects with floral tributes.

In the footage, Abdullah is seen making his way to the graveyard alongside his cabinet ministers, flanked by police and security forces. When they encountered a locked gate, Abdullah climbed over it and scaled the wall to gain entry to the graveyard.

While sharing the video, Abdullah posted on X: “I paid my respects and offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of July 13, 1931. The unelected government attempted to obstruct my path, compelling me to walk from Nawhatta chowk. They blocked access to the Naqshband Sb shrine, forcing me to climb a wall. They tried to physically restrain me, but I was determined not to be stopped today.”

Abdullah also shared another video that depicted him being manhandled within the cemetery.

Criticizing the central government, Abdullah tweeted, “This is the physical confrontation I faced, but I am made of tougher material and would not be deterred. I was not engaging in any unlawful or illegal activity. In fact, these ‘protectors of the law’ must clarify under which law they attempted to prevent us from offering Fatiha.

This incident follows a day after Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration prohibited leaders from holding any events to commemorate the anniversary of the July 13, 1931 killings, which occurred during protests against the then-ruler of the princely state, Hari Singh.

On Sunday, several leaders from the ruling National Conference Party (NCP) were placed under house arrest in an effort to prevent them from observing Martyrs’ Day today.

July 13 is recognized as ‘Martyrs Day’ in Jammu and Kashmir, honoring the 22 individuals who were killed by the Dogra army outside Srinagar’s central jail in 1931. The administration led by the Lt Governor had removed this day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020.

In a previous post, Abdullah had drawn parallels between the 1931 killings and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. “It is unfortunate that genuine heroes who resisted British domination… are now depicted as villains,” he tweeted.

In reaction, BJP national general secretary and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Tarun Chugh criticized Abdullah for comparing the 1931 killings to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

“That incident represented colonial cruelty against defenseless civilians. July 13 involved a communal mob attempting to dismantle order. Do not demean our struggle for freedom by distorting the truth,” he stated.

“This does not represent martyrdom. It is an attempt to obscure Islamist violence. And it comes from the same individual whose party remained silent when Kashmiri Pandits were forcibly expelled at gunpoint in 1990,” Chugh further remarked.