Omar Abdullah quotes late Arun Jaitley as he alleges ‘house arrest’ in Kashmir: ‘Tyranny of unelected’
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Omar Abdullah quotes late Arun Jaitley as he alleges ‘house arrest’ in Kashmir: ‘Tyranny of unelected’
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister says he will not leave the state without visiting the graves of the fallen. He says the government is trying to prevent people from commemorating the anniversary of the massacre at the hands of the Indian army in Kashmir on July 13, 1931. He calls the move a “tyranny of the unelected” and vows to continue to fight for the rights of the people of the state. The government says it is only trying to ensure the safety of people in the state, not to prevent them from visiting the sites of the martyrs. But the opposition says it will not stop people from going to the sites to pay their respects to the fallen soldiers, who were killed by the Indian Army in the battle for Kashmir in the early hours of the morning of July 13. The Indian government has denied the opposition’s claims, saying it is just trying to protect the lives of those who have died in the conflict. The U.S. State Department says it has no plans to send troops to the region.
He further alleged that this ‘detention’ was the “tyranny of the unelected”. Abdullah shared pictures from outside his house, where several Jammu and Kashmir police personnel and police vehicles could be seen.
‘Tyranny of unelected’
“To borrow from the late Arun Jaitley Sb – Democracy in J&K is a tyranny of the unelected. To put it in terms you will all understand today the unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K,” he wrote in a post on X.
“The unelected government locked up the elected government,” he added.
Earlier in the day, several ministers of the Omar Abdullah-led government and some Opposition leaders as well were allegedly placed under house arrest to prevent them from observing the Kashmir Martyrs’ Day.
However, there was no official confirmation of the house arrest claims of the leaders.
The claims came as the Srinagar district magistrate on Saturday rejected the ruling National Conference’s plea seeking permission to pay tribute to the 22 people who were killed by the Dogra army on July 13, 1931.
In a public advisory posted on X, the Srinagar Police said, “The District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13th July 2025 (Sunday).”
As leaders made claims about being placed under house arrest to prevent their visits to the Naqshband Sahib Martyrs graveyard near Nowhatta, Abdullah condemned the restrictions and termed it a “blatantly undemocratic move”.
“In a blatantly undemocratic move homes have been locked from the outside, police & central forces deployed as jailers & major bridges in Srinagar blocked. All to stop people from visiting a historically important grave yard containing the graves of people who laid down their lives to give Kashmiris a voice & to empower them. I will never understand what the Law & Order government is so afraid of,” he said.
Later, in a separate X post to pay homage to the 22 people, Abdullah likened the July 13, 1931 incident to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He asserted that the leaders may be denied permission to visit their graves today, but they “will never forget their sacrifices”.
“13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today but we will not forget their sacrifices,” the J&K chief minister wrote.
Deputy chief minister Surinder Chaudhary, who was in Jammu, also claimed that his official residence in Kashmir was locked by the administration. “This is our condition. Locking a deputy chief minister, ministers and MLAs is a threat to democracy,” he said, demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
“The nation that forgets its martyrs does not last long. Those who laid down their lives in 1931 were unarmed civilians fighting for their rights. They were not driven by religion or fighting against any community,” the deputy chief minister told reporters at the National Conference headquarters.
Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP/PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti had also posted on X that leaders of her party, who were on their way to the ‘martyrs’ grave, had been ‘detained in police stations’, while others were ‘locked’ in their homes.
“The day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the “dil ki doori” (distance of hearts) will truly end,” she said in a post on X.
Mufti further wrote, “When you lay siege to the Martyrs’ Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes. July 13th commemorates our martyrs those who rose against tyranny, much like countless others across the country. They will always be our heroes.
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Continuing with its regressive policies many of our party leaders like Khurshid Allam , Zohaib Mir , Hamid Kohsheen, Arif Liagroo, Sara Nayeema, Tabassum , Basharat Naseem and others who managed to sneak out of their homes have been detained in police stations . They were on their way to Mazar e shuda.”
The PDP chief said it seemed like things are getting back into “the oppressive times that our 13 July Martyrs fought against”.
Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone also claimed that he had been stopped from leaving his residence.
“Not allowed to move out of home. Detained. I don’t know why the union government is so keen to redefine what is sacred for the people of Kashmir. The sacrifices rendered on July 13 are sacred for all of us,” he posted on X.
Lone said that stopping people from going to the “marytrs graveyard” only elevates their sacrifices to a “new high”. He added, “Histories that are etched in blood don’t vanish.”
What happened on July 13, 1931?
Thousands of Kashmiris were protesting outside the central jail in Srinagar to support Abdul Qadar. He used to call on Kashmiris against the Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh. Qadar was charged with sedition.
However, the massive protests forced the Dogra ruler’s forces to open fire, resulting in the deaths of 22 people.
In Jammu and Kashmir, July 13 used to be a public holiday before the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union territories in August 2019. However, the administration dropped the day from the gazetted holidays list in 2020.
Top political leaders used to visit the “martyrs’ graveyard” to pay tributes to the Kashmiris who fell to the bullets of the Dogra army while protesting against the rule of the Maharaja.