"Blatantly undemocratic move": JK CM Omar Abdullah slams curbs on visit to martyrs' graveyard

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 13 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday alleged that several homes were "locked" from the outside, central forces were deployed as “jailers,” and bridges in Srinagar were blocked to “stop” people from visiting a “historically important” graveyard.

In a post on X, the JK CM said the graveyard contains the graves of those who "laid down their lives to give Kashmiris a voice" and criticised the administration's actions as "undemocratic".

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

In a blatantly undemocratic move homes have been locked from the outside, police & central forces deployed as jailers & major bridges in Srinagar blocked. All to stop people from visiting a historically important grave yard containing the graves of people who laid down their… https://t.co/yTC2V53VAy

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 13, 2025

In another post, Abdullah compared the July 13 incident to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and said the sacrifices of those who stood up to British rule should not be forgotten.

"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," he said.

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…

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 13, 2025

The JK Chief Minister’s earlier tweet claiming that people were being “stopped” from entering the martyrs’ graveyard was in response to a post by Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq, who also alleged that several party leaders were confined to their homes to prevent them from "honouring' the martyrs of July 13.

“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. 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 posted on X. (ANI)