Jammu and Kashmir: Governor, BJP skip official function at martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Saturday skipped the official function at the Martyrs' graveyard. July 13 is observed as Martyrs Day in Jammu and Kashmir to remember those killed in the firing outside the Srinagar Central Jail by forces of the Dogra Maharaja in 1931. It is a public holiday in the state. Malik's predecessor N N Vohra had also skipped the official function last year but did pay homage to the martyrs of 1931 in 2017.

The 22 martyrs were laid to rest in the premises of the revered shrine of Hazrat Khawja Naqshband Sahab shrine (RA) at Khajwabazar in downtown. The graveyard is popularly known as Martyrs Graveyard. 

However, Malik in his Friday's message on the eve of Martyrs' Day called for collective efforts from all sections of the society to secure rapid growth and development of the state on all fronts.

Barring the Bharatiya Janata Party, the entire spectrum of political ideologies in Jammu and Kashmir observes July 13 as Martyrs Day across the State.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, State Congress party president G.A. Mir,  M.Y.T Arigami, state secretary of CPI-M, Engineer Rashid, President of Awami Ittehad Party, Ghulam Hassan Mir, President Democratic Party Nationalist and Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen, chief of Peoples Democratic Front paid tributes to the martyrs’.

Farooq Abdullah said in a statement: “1931 stands out as a milestone in the history of Jammu & Kashmir. It was a fight of tyrannized against tyrants, of the oppressed against the oppressors. The day paved the way for a more organized struggle against the autocratic and oligarchic rule. It was then when one of the dying martyrs that had asked Sher-e-Kashmir: I have done my duty, now you proceed. Sher e Kashmir fearlessly carried forward the sacred mission of the martyrs unto his last breath.  It is now for the coming generations to carry forward the mission of those martyrs. The notable contribution of the martyrs of 1931 shall be remembered for all the times to come. On this day I pay my glowing tributes to each one of them. I salute their supreme sacrifice.”