Kashmir Martyr’s Day

Young Bites. Dated: 7/14/2018 11:06:57 AM


Martyrs' Day is observed in Kashmir in remembrance of the people killed on 13 July 1931 in the region. On the day Kashmiris were agitating outside the jail premises at Srinagarwhere Abdul Qadeer was tried on the charge of terrorism and inciting public against the Maharaja of Kashmir were attacked by Dogra state forces, following which various communal incidents took place in the region resulting in atrocities by various communities.
The Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir)is observed on July 13 every year not only on both sides of the Line of Control but also all over the world by the Kashmiris to pay homage to 22 Kashmiris who were martyred in 1931. It was revolt against atrocities on July 13, 1931 when people rose against the Dogra rule and protested against the prosecution of sympathizer of Kashmir struggle, Abdul Qadeer Khan Ghazi.
A leading land-holder in Udhampur Jammu embraced Islam. The Hindu Tehsildar sanctioned a fresh mutation of his lands, eliminated his name and mutated the same in the name of his brother. He filed a suit which was dismissed with the remarks that unless he re-entered Hindu faith, he was not entitled to any property. This was done in accordance with a decree issued by the Dogra Government on 31 December 1882. When the Imam spoke of Pharaoh as a cruel and tyrant king, the sub-inspector ordered him to stop the Khutba as in his view the Imam had transgressed the bounds of law and was guilty of treason. A young man Mir Hussain Bakhsh stood up to defy the ban and addressing the people told them that the Government had been guilty of interference in their religion. The cry was taken up by the congregation; they marched in a procession to the city’s main Masjid where brief meeting was held condemning the incident. It was resolved to hold a protest meeting in the evening. One of the biggest ever gatherings in the city, it was presided over by Mir Hussain Bakhsh. The Muslims felt deeply hurt. Politically suppressed and economically strangulated, the interference now in their religious observations aroused deep hatred against the then rulers. The meeting was addressed by Chaudhri Ghulam Abbas Khan, Sardar Gauhar Rehman Khan, and Mistri Yakub Ali. Holding protest meetings from now on became quite frequent. The Muslims brought a complaint in the court of Additional District Magistrate under section 296 Ranbir Penal Code against the Hindu inspector for disturbing a religious assembly which was dismissed, as the Hindu Magistrate held that Khutba was not a part of the prayers. A large crowd of Hindus who were present in the court premises raised the slogans: “Khem Chand Zindabad” and “Hindu Dharam Ki Jai”.
The second incident took place on 4 June in the Central Jail Jammu. According to daily “Inquilab” dated 1/7/1931, one Fazal Dad Khan, a police constable from Mirpur, was sitting on a cot when a Head Warder, Balak Ram, reprimanded him for being late on duty. In the meantime came one Labhu Ram Sub-Inspector who threw away his bedding in a fit of recklessness. It contained a copy of Panjsurah (five chapters from the Quran). Fazal Dad approached the Young Men’s Muslim Association.
A little later the District Magistrate, the City Munsiff, the Superintendent of Police and the Assistant Superintendent of Police arrived in cars. No sooner did they come out of their vehicles than the people shouted the slogans, ‘Allah-o-Akbar- Islam Zindabad’ and ‘Abdul Qadeer Zindabad”. And when the Judge arrived in his car, escorted by the police the people shouted, “Our brother from Raibareli; Release Abdul Qadeer! Our brother from Rawalpindi! We will go to the jail. Imprison us instead”. The police charged them with batons. The infuriated people fought the police back with stones and brickbats. This was immediately followed by face-to-face fight between the people and the police. In this fight one, Ghulam Mohammad Halwai, a retired police man bounced upon a police sergeant, Ghulam Qadir Khan snatching the gun from him. Before he could handle the gun, a police Head Constable shot him dead. In order to quell the crowd, the police started firing which continued for fifteen minutes. The situation became extremely grave and obviously it was the natural result of the Governors reckless order. Governor Turlok Chand lost his nervous and ordered the armed police to open fire. According to the evidence, officially placed before the Dalal Inquiry Commission, one hundred and eighty rounds were fired. Seventeen Muslims were killed on the spot and forty received serious injuries. Five of whom died later in the Jamia Masjid. The Hindu, Daily Tribune, dated 28 July 1931, admitted the loss of 21 Muslims in the firing the scene was very grim. It is recorded by Chaudhri Ghulam Abbas Khan in his autobiography that ‘the sky became suddenly overcast with dark frightening clouds and the city witnessed an unusual dust storm, as soon as the procession reached Jamia Masjid, and the government clamped martial law and handed over the city to the army’. It was here that one of the martyrs and now you proceed who had not as yet breathed his last, had reportedly told Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. “I have done my duty and now you proceed ahead!” Another martyr, Ghulam Nabi Kalwal enquired from Mirwaiz Mohammad Yousuf Shah as to whether he was dying as a martyr and on being assured by him, that anyone who died in the firing or as a result of it was certainly a martyr in the truest sense of the tear, he immediately closed his eyes and reciting the Kalima breathed his last. On the 3rd day, they were buried in the compound of Kanqah-i-Maula. The place has since come to be known as Mazar-i-Shuhada.

 

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