Er P L Khushu
As per official version of the then government of Jammu & Kashmir, The Martyrs’ Day, which was known as “Yume Shuhada-e-Kashmir”, was observed on July 13th every year in Kashmir, to pay homage to 22 Kashmiris who were martyred as per the official version, in 1931 to free Kashmir from the brutalities of despotic Dogra rulers.
But what is the truth about the Martyrs Day of Kashmir’s, July 13th:-
13th day of July, 1931, was actually a well thought of communal event, which occurred in Srinagar, Kashmir, when lot of people were murdered and put to a worst type of communal fury and wrath. When the people involved in such riots, who are called as martyrs as per official language, were asked and admonished by the police not to resort to rioting, arson, murder and looting and such rioters upon refusing to maintain order and peace, some of them had to face severe police action , when the police acted firmly upon them, to check their attempts of loot, arson and murder. In this process some of these rioters got killed as well, which normally occurs when such carnages are taken recourse to by any unruly mob. The dead rioters were hailed as martyrs by their co-conspirators and supporters. Later, in the independent India these rioters were commemorated and called as martyrs.
As per official version, this day was the milestone in the history of Kashmir, as it was considered in Kashmir the genesis of the Kashmir’s struggle for independence against foreign occupation. It is further said about it that, on April 19, 1931, the ban of Eid Khutba (Sermon) ignited widespread demonstrations in the Jammu city for a number of days. It was followed by desecration of the Holy Quran at the hands of Dogra forces, which resulted into outrage among the Muslims throughout the state. In Srinagar, people gathered in Jamia Masjid to denounce this blasphemy. One such get-together was held in Khankah-e-Muella Srinagar, which was addressed by prominent Kashmiri’s.
When the meeting was concluded, a youth, Abdul Qadeer, pointing his finger to the Maharaja’s palace, raised slogans “destroy its every brick.” With the accusation of sedition, he was arrested forthwith. Abdul Qadir was to be tried in the court, but due to large public resentment, the court was shifted to Central Jail Srinagar.
“The official version in this regard mentions that on July 12, 1931, in response to the shifting of court, intense public protests were held throughout the city. The next day, on July 13, 1931, thousands of people thronged the Central Jail Srinagar to witness the in-camera trial of Abdul Qadeer. As the time for obligatory prayer approached, a young Kashmiri stood for Azan. The Dogra Governor, Rai Zada Tarilok Chand ordered soldiers to open fire at him. When he got martyred, another young man took his place and started Azan. He was also shot dead. In this way, 22 Kashmiris embraced martyrdom in their efforts to complete the Azan. The people carried the dead and paraded through the streets of Srinagar, chanting slogans against Dogra brutalities. Complete strike was observed in the city, which was followed by weeklong mourning. This incident shook the whole state. The 22 martyrs as per official designation were buried in Martyrs’ Graveyard at Khawaja Bazar, Srinagar”.
In 1931, Maharaja Hari Singh was the sovereign ruler of the Jammu and Kashmir, which included Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad-Mirpur, Aksai Chin and Saksham Valley. The British wanted him to lease them the Gilgit agency. The Maharaja was reluctant. He was a rare Hindu king who ruled over his predominantly Muslim subjects.
It was thus conspired against the Maharaja that some tightness should be imposed upon him by creating unrest in his governance and disturb the peace of his government. One professional trouble shooter from Peshawar, namely Abdul Qadir, was brought into Srinagar by the British intelligence in the garb of a cook for the local British resident. Sh. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, then a newly qualified Muslim aspirant, from the Aligarh Muslim University who was politically active and ambitious, was also roped in.
A public meeting was organized at the Shah-e-Hamdaan, Khanqah Mohalla. There, Abdul Qadir, delivered a fiery speech. He quoted from the holy Quran to incite the Muslims against the Maharaja. Spewing communal venom and inflaming passion, he asserted that the book forbade Muslims to subject themselves to an infidel Hindu ruler.
He also incited them to cow slaughter, which was forbidden under the law. Qadir was ordered to be arrested for sedition. His arrest was resisted. Later, his trial too was sought to be disrupted repeatedly. It was then decided to hold his trial in the jail premises itself.
GS Raghavan, a veteran journalist of that time describes the instances of July 13, 1931, in his book The Warning from Kashmir:
“The hearing in jail fell on 13th July. On that day, a mob stormed the jail and demanded admittance along with the Sessions Judge. When the Judge had passed the gates, the crowd also attempted to get in. The other gates had been forced and the inner gates were attacked. At the suggestion of the Judge, two Muslim lawyers, representing the accused, asked the visitors to go out of the Jail precincts. Finding that there was no possibility of ingress, the crowd went out and started stoning officials and set fire to the police lines. The police force was then called in. All efforts to pacify the unruly mob proved futile. While there was commotion outside the jail there was also disturbance inside, prisoners tried to force open the iron gates. About this time, certain prisoners were being taken from the court to the jail. The crowd stoned the policemen and the prisoners were liberated. The prospect was by no means satisfactory. The District Magistrate’s order was defied, who had been summoned to the spot by the time, and had declared the crowd to be an “unlawful assembly” and ordered its dispersal. The order was defied and finding that the mob could neither be pacified nor dispersed, the District Magistrate directed fire to be opened. The crowd fell off but later it re-assembled and resumed stoning. It had to be dispersed with a Lathi charge. A section of people from the crowd, however moved towards the Hari Parbat Fort, when the police had to pursue it and disperse it again. A section of these persons proceeded towards Maharaj Ganj which is a business locality and loot of sorts followed over an extensive area of Maharaj Ganj . From Bhori Kadal to Alikadal a long stretch, Hindu shops were raided. Other localities in and around maharaj ganj to Nawakadal including bohri kadal also became the focus poits of loot and arson. The Hindu shopkeepers were molested and thus pandemonium prevailed all over”. “The Hindu merchants lost goods worth lakhs of rupees. “The most extraordinary portion of the story was that almost simultaneously with the happenings at Srinagar, there was an uprising at a place named Vicharnag, some 5 or 6 miles away from this spot. It is stated that untold atrocities were committed there; men owning lakhs were reduced to indigence and women were subjected to the worst possible and the most indecent assaults. A military force was dispatched to the place, but by that time the havoc had been completed. Elsewhere too, the Hindus were the victims of this carnage. Some lost their lives and many suffered physical injuries. A myth is sought to be propagated that it was a “democratic” uprising, to uproot the prevailing “feudal” order. But a big farce.
It was an Islamist rebellion against the Hindu king. Sheikh Abdullah too was found complicit in the uprising. He was arrested, tried, convicted and sent to prison. Sheikh Abdullah was later released earlier after getting pardoned by the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir and soon after Sheikh founded All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference and became its founder president. Much more is there to write about this event of carnage, but due to the limitation of space enough of it is retained back to be mentioned in further issues.
Myself though not born at that point of time, am well reminded of this sad episode as my late father would often refer to the death of a Kashmiri pundit neighbor friend of his , namely Sh. Jagar Nath, living on the other side of our house, in the vicinity of Khankahi Mohalla, (where from the conspiracy for this carnage was cooked up), who was killed by the rioters after an assault on our locality, among other localities of Srinagar city. My father’s sister viz, my ‘Buwah’ ( Poof), who was unmarried then, was hid in a big earthen pot of a human size, in which the domestic grains and cereals were normally stored, to save her from the assault of the rioters. So was the case with other residents and neighbors as well. It is supposed to be one of the worst communal carnages of that time. Thus if at all it is said from tree tops that 13th July was a martyrs day by the official agencies, but it was a carnage day for the kashmiri pandits that day, as our house along with the inhabitants there in, as also other residents living nearby were assaulted and looted, when one of our cherished neighbors was killed as well. Thus 13th July in Kashmir, is a carnage event for Kashmiri Pandits and not a martyrs event as was being celebrated.
KP’s continue to suffer the onslaught of genocide of January 1990, as every day of their exile is a “Martyrs” day for them since last about 35 years. But the administration particularly governing the one, governing the whole India viz, the central government is least bothered about the rehabilitation of KP’s back in Kashmir with honor and dignity. The reason being that KP’s are not a vote bank entity at all so why bother about them. If all other dynastic political parties of Kashmir, including the main Congress party are responsible for KP’s plights, BJP being in power for almost for the last one decade has equally done nothing tangible or cognizable for the forcibly displaced KP’s’ so for in attending to their woes of displacement from their homes and hearths. It is a hypothesis of “better said than done” for the BJP. BJP poses to be innate well wishers of the displaced KP’s, yet, for its consumption for its vote bank politics elsewhere in the country. The ” The king is dead, long live the king”, a famous saying.
(The author is a chartered consultant civil engineer, passionately attached to his mother land-Jammu & Kashmir)
