‘Made of sterner stuff’: Omar Abdullah signals shift in stance with Martyrs’ Day aggression

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday shared a video that showed him scaling a railing along with his cabinet ministers to visit the Martyrs' Graveyard

In an act of defiance, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday shared a video that showed him scaling a railing along with his cabinet ministers to visit the Martyrs' Graveyard in Nowhatta and pay floral tributes.

He shared another video and claimed that he was “subjected to grappling” by personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir police that falls under the control of the Lieutenant Governor. “This is the physical grappling I was subjected to, but I am made of sterner stuff & was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal. In fact, these “protectors of the law” need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha,” the CM said in a post on X.

This comes a day after the J&K administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha barred leaders from holding any event commemorating the anniversary of the July 13, 1931, killings during protests against the then ruler of the princely state, Hari Singh. Every year, July 13 is observed by many in J&K as Martyrs' Day. However, it was dropped from the list of state holidays after the abrogation of Article 370.

What does BJP say about July 13?

In an earlier post, Omar had compared the 1931 killings to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

In response, BJP national general secretary and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Tarun Chugh slammed the CM.

“That was colonial brutality against unarmed civilians. July 13 was a communal mob trying to burn down the order. Do not insult our freedom movement by twisting facts,” he said.

“This is not martyrdom. This is a cover-up of Islamist violence. And it’s coming from the same man whose party stayed silent when Kashmiri Pandits were driven out at gunpoint (in 1990),” Chugh said.

Change in stance

Ever since he assumed office as the Chief Minister in October 2024, Omar has never had a direct confrontation with the Centre despite facing criticism from rival parties and within his own accusing him of adopting a conciliatory tone while interacting with the BJP leadership.

The leaders had alleged that since assuming power, the Omar government has been silent on the issues of statehood and the reinstatement of Article 370 in the state. Omar has denied these allegations while claiming that he was adopting a pragmatic approach in favour of the development of the union territory.

After the withdrawal of Article 370 in August 2019 and in the years leading up to his return to power, Omar was a vocal critic of the BJP. He had always held the BJP responsible for all the actions that “destroyed” the Valley.

In October 2024, just after winning the election, he publicly stated that the government in Jammu and Kashmir “needs to have coordination with the Centre”.

In November 2024, his party, the National Conference (NC), passed a resolution in the J&K Assembly. The resolution, though reaffirming the importance of the region’s special status, was noticeably more cautious.

His father and NC president, Farooq Abdullah, also backed a balanced approach.  “The J&K government can’t fight with the Centre.”

Omar also praised PM Modi for J&K's development and held a peaceful election when the prime minister inaugurated Rs 2700 crore Sonamarg tunnel on January 13 this year.  The J&K CM had also reportedly met Home Minister Amit Shah.

During an interview with India Today in January this year, Omar had spoken about his interaction with the Centre.

"The fact is that when I met the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, they were very sort of forthright in saying that the people have spoken, that mandate has to be respected, and that they will support and assist the government to the fullest extent,” he said.

When asked about pushback against him from those who want a more hardline approach, Omar said politics is about “having different opinions”.

While sharing a stage with PM Modi in June this year, he made a fresh push to restore the statehood of J&K. However, his tone was not harsh.  Omar pointed out that while Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was promoted from Minister of State to his current post, the National Conference leader was effectively demoted from being a Chief Minister of a state to that of a Union Territory.

However, with the aggression shown on an occasion such as the Martyr’s Day, an emotive issue for many in the erstwhile state, Abdullah appears to have sent out a warning to the Centre while also delivering a message to his supporters and detractors back home.