NC decides to observe July 13 as Martyrs' Day

SRINAGAR: National Conference has decided to observe July 13 as Martyrs’ Day to commemorate to the death of 22 Kashmiris at the hands of Dogra soldiers during a protest on that day in 1931.

“Our stand on July 13 is clear. We have profound respect for the martyrs of that day. We will observe it, regardless of whether it is declared a public holiday or not,” party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.

He said July 13 represents a collective struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir against the Dogra rulers and should not be given any religious colour.

Party chief Farooq Abdullah said, “These were the people who sacrificed their lives to free Jammu and Kashmir from monarchy.” The party on Monday held a meeting to finalize arrangements for the day.

In Jan 2020, six months after the abrogation of Article 370, the state govt removed from the list of public holidays July 13 and Dec 5, National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birth anniversary.

On Monday, J&K Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari urged the govt “to declare July 13 as a gazetted holiday in memory of the martyrs of 1931.”

In March, PDP legislator Waheed Parra brought a resolution in the assembly, demanding the restoration of July 13 as a public holiday. BJP legislator Sunil Sharma objected to his resolution, claiming that the 22 Kashmiris killed by Dogra forces in 1931 were “not martyrs, but traitors.”

Sharma’s remark evoked protests from National Conference, PDP, and Congress. The Speaker later expunged Sharma’s remarks from the official record.