The most well known day in the recent history of Kashmir has been the 13th of July. It is the Martyrs’ Day, an official holiday observed in memory of the 21 Kashmiris who laid their lives during an assault on the Srinagar Central Jail in 1931. These people were martyred by the Dogra Army. History of the day has been well documented and it is taken as the turning point in Kashmir’s freedom movement. There are many mixed memories of the day among the people of my age. Some relate to what our parents and grand-parents have been telling us. Some are our own memories about the significance and the celebration on a grand scale of the day during our youth. Grand parents have been relating the suppression which was unleashed by Dogra soldiers after the incident of July, 13, 1931. A martial law was imposed. Dogra soldiers were marching everywhere and people had to shout “Maharaja Bahadur ki Jai!” whenever they would meet them. Till this day Kashmiris had been agitating for their rights and had been brutally suppressed. There were a number of other incidents like desecration of Holy Quran in Jammu, which had infuriated the masses but they were feeling helpless. Then Abdul Qadeer made the historical fiery speech in Khankah-i-Maula which electrified the movement. He was arrested and tried for sedition. The trial was held in the Central Jail which the people tried to storm on this fateful day. 21 were martyred by the Dogra Army. The dead were carried on charpoys in a procession. The movement got a tremendous boost and culminated in the “Quit Kashmir” slogan of 1946. All these events we have heard from our elders but the memory we have from our school days is of the massive turnout and a colourful tribute paid to these martyrs on this day every year. Every locality would send its own procession. There used to be an official procession of smartly dressed policemen who would pay a formal tribute to the martyrs. The processions were continued on a grand scale till 1975 when there was a u-turn in the movement. The official tribute continued even after that date but on a smaller scale. The common people would go on their own to offer fateh to the martyrs as they were considered the pioneers who had in reality started the movement, which was still going on!

But after 1990, the things changed. The ceremony got reduced to an official function only held under very tight security. There were newer martyrs in thousands all over the valley. Dozens of graveyards sprang up and Eid Gah became the largest graveyard of the new martyrs. In addition, a large number of people said to number around 10,000 or so disappeared without any trace. Recently, a number of graves of unknown persons have been discovered especially in the border areas. This has completely changed the context of the historic day. Earlier the day was celebrated with the common understanding that these people had given their life for the emancipation of Kashmiris which was supposed to have been achieved in 1947 with the formation of the first peoples’ government. There was a feeling that these people had sacrificed their lives for the freedom which we were supposed to have achieved in 1947 by the end of the Dogra autocratic rule. 1953 was another turning point when the leader thrown up by the events of 1931 was deposed and arrested. The movement got a fresh impetus. Since that time the people have felt that the goal of the 1931 martyrs is yet to be achieved. There is an ironic dichotomy to the official function which is being held every year along with the day being a gazetted holiday. The date signifies the day of revolt against the Dogra Maharja which ultimately turned into “Quit Kashmir Movement” against him in 1946. India claims Kashmir to be its integral part on the basis of an accession document signed by the same Maharaja in 1947! How can the people who had revolted against the Maharaja be taken to be part of that decision? The only argument is that the most popular leader of the people at that time Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah supported it. However, subsequently Sheikh Abdullah was rejected by the people which is evident from the 1990 revolt and the fact that his grave is protected by heavy security. Had he continued to be a popular leader his mausoleum would have been the most frequented shrine in Kashmir because of our typical characteristic of worshipping the dead!

The anti-climax of the story of the martyrs of 1931 is the manner in which the official tribute is being paid to them over last few years. It has been always a hush hush function conducted under the most strict security arrangements very early in the morning. The locals are virtually put under house arrest. A few years back even this function got disturbed and locals indulged in heavy stone pelting. The “popular” leaders had to beat a hasty retreat and one of the leaders left her chappals there which were subsequently retrieved by the security personnel! However, this year’s event was the climax. The leaders did not even stay for the customary speech. They very quickly laid wreaths and showered flower petals on the graves. Everybody looked grim and very quiet. The entire area had been turned into a virtual prison. Paramilitary and police personnel had been stationed on all the roof tops surrounding the spot. The entire city had been put under curfew. This was shown live on a Delhi TV channel. For the first time common Kashmiris were prevented from offering fateh on the Mazar-i-Shuda. What can one infer from such a situation? That we are back to 1931! Seeing all these events in a sequence, many elders have been opining that the events during the Dogra Maharaja were not so harsh and cruel. Many say that in the heart of his hearts he had a very soft corner for his subjects. It was he who had enacted the state subject law in 1927. Governance is supposed to have been much better. Environment was the most protected thing those days. Dal and River Jhelum were pure and serene! Becoming the “Integral” part of the “Democratic” India seems to have cost us dearly! We have even lost the very basic right to live an honest and dignified life! An unfortunate tragedy in the long and tragic history of Kashmir.