Srinagar: Senior religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Friday that authorities had prevented him from delivering his weekly sermon at the Jama Masjid.
“Disallowed to go to Jama Masjid today, put under house arrest, fearing the mention of the martyrs of 13th July 1931 in my Friday sermon! The sacrifice of these martyrs and all the martyrs since is etched in the collective memory of Kashmir and cannot be undone by restrictions and bans."
He added, “No living nation can forget the supreme sacrifice of life of its martyrs against tyranny and injustice. It is my appeal to the authorities to remove the restrictions and allow people to peacefully pay homage to the martyrs of 13th July. "Inshallah, if allowed as per our tradition, we will visit the martyrs graveyard on July 13th after Zuhr prayers and pay homage to the revered martyrs,” Mirwaiz Umar said on X.
His reference to July 13 pertains to ‘Martyrs’ Day’—a date that was officially observed in Jammu & Kashmir prior to the abrogation of Article 370. The day commemorates the killing of 22 protesters in 1931 who stormed the Srinagar Central Jail in protest of the secret trial of Abul Qadeer, a Pathan butler of a British officer, who had urged people to rise against the Dogra regime under Maharaja Hari Singh. Following independence, the state government continued to observe the date as Martyrs’ Day.
The Union Home Ministry has designated the Awami Action Committee—led by Mirwaiz Umar—as an unlawful organisation accused of promoting separatist sentiments in the Valley.
Founded in 1963 by the late Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq, Mirwaiz Umar’s father, the Awami Action Committee emerged during the Holy Relic agitation in Kashmir. Mirwaiz Maulana Farooq was assassinated by militants at his Nigeen residence in 1990.
Since the revocation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories, law and order responsibilities have shifted directly to the Union Home Ministry.
Most separatist leaders have been arrested or are under investigation for alleged involvement in promoting terrorism and receiving foreign funding. Organisations including the JKLF, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami League and others have been named.
Following the changes introduced on August 5, 2019, incidents of anti-India protests, stone-pelting, and arson have largely ceased in Kashmir.
While terrorism persists in parts of J&K, its intensity has declined due to sustained efforts by security forces and local police, enabling daily life to continue without shutdowns, curfews or separatist-led bandhs.
(inputs from IANS)