CPI(M) Slams Assault on CM Omar Abdullah at Martyrs’ Graveyard
Condemns House Arrest of J&K Leaders on July 13 Commemoration Day
Demands Restoration of Martyrs’ Day Holiday in Jammu and Kashmir
Blames BJP Govt for Undermining Democratic Rights in the Region
Calls for Public Apology from Lt. Governor for Mishandling of Events
Srinagar, July 14, KNT: The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has come down heavily on the BJP-led central government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration over what it called “undemocratic and authoritarian” actions taken on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day in the Valley.
In a strongly worded statement, the CPI(M) condemned the reported manhandling of Jammu and Kashmir’s elected Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the revered Naqshband Sahib graveyard in Srinagar, where he had gone to pay homage to the 22 Kashmiri martyrs who were shot dead by the Dogra army on July 13, 1931.
The Left party also denounced the house arrest of several senior political leaders, including CPI(M) Central Committee member and J&K legislator Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, which prevented them from visiting the graveyard to mark the solemn occasion.
📢 8,000+ readers already joined for instant Kashmir News Trust updates
“The BJP government is trying to impose its own regressive diktats in Jammu and Kashmir. It has not only abolished the official holiday on Martyrs’ Day but paradoxically celebrates the birthday of the Maharaja who was responsible for the killing of these freedom fighters,” the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said in its statement.
The party alleged that the actions taken by the administration amounted to a blatant suppression of democratic rights and sentiments of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It further accused the Lieutenant Governor—appointed by the central government—of disrupting the functioning of the democratically elected state government by overriding its authority and violating its autonomy.
Calling for immediate corrective measures, the CPI(M) demanded that the BJP-led government stop “playing with the emotions of the people of J&K” and restore the traditional holiday on Martyrs’ Day to honour the historical legacy of resistance against autocratic rule.
“The Lt. Governor must issue a public apology for the assault on the Chief Minister, political leaders, and the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement concluded.
