Omar Abdullah scales wall to pay tribute to Martyrs' Day victims: 'Was not going to be stopped' | Watch

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday climbed a railing along with his cabinet ministers to visit the Martyrs' Graveyard in Nowhatta and pay floral tributes.

Sharing the video, Abdullah wrote on X: "Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931. The unelected government tried to block my way forcing me to walk from Nawhatta chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sb shrine forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me but I was not going to be stopped today."

Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931. The unelected government tried to block my way forcing me to walk from Nawhatta chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sb shrine forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me… pic.twitter.com/IS6rOSwoN4

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 14, 2025

This comes a day after the J&K administration headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha barred leaders from holding any event commemorating the anniversary of the July 13, 1931.

Abdullah alleged on Sunday that many National Conference (NC) leaders have been placed under house arrest to prevent them from participating in the July 13 Martyrs’ Day event in Srinagar.

Earlier, the NC was denied permission from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration in the Union Territory to attend the July 13 Martyrs’ Day function in Srinagar.

“In a blatantly undemocratic move homes have been locked from the outside, police & central forces deployed as jailers & major bridges in Srinagar have been blocked. All to stop people from visiting a historically important graveyard containing the graves of people who laid down their lives to give Kashmiris a voice, to empower them,” said Abdullah in an X post.

The Chief Minister’s post was in response to an X post by NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq, who claimed that he and several party leaders had been confined to his home since the previous night.

Since the abrogation of Article 370 and special status in 2019, the UT administration has consistently disallowed functions at the Martyrs’ Graveyard and has removed July 13 from the official calendar of public holidays, replacing it with September 23, the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, as a public holiday.

Permission Denied

In a statement, police said that the Srinagar district administration had declined permission for the event and cautioned that any attempt to move toward the venue would invite strict action.

Participants were advised by the police to “strictly comply with the instructions and refrain from violating the orders issued by the District Administration.”

The ruling National Conference had approached the Srinagar District Magistrate seeking permission to pay tribute to those “martyred” by the forces of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh on July 13, 1931.

In a letter to the Srinagar DM, National Conference general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar stated that party president Farooq Abdullah, along with other senior leaders, intended to visit the “martyrs’” graveyard at Naqshband Sahib near Nowhatta at 8 am on Sunday, July 13.

“It is requested to kindly confirm the proposed timing or allot the timing so that there is no confusion whatsoever in this regard…party will follow the timing as allotted,” Sagar wrote in the letter.

July 13 is marked as Martyrs’ Day in remembrance of the 22 individuals who lost their lives during a rebellion against Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule in 1931—an event seen as a turning point that eventually led to the region’s first-ever assembly elections.