The ongoing session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, as of March 5, 2025, has brought to the forefront a deeply emotive and historically significant issue: the recognition of the 22 Kashmiris martyred on July 13, 1931. The scrapping of the Martyrs’ Day holiday, once observed to honor these individuals, has sparked a fierce rift between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the broader coalition of legislators, exposing contrasting narratives about identity, history, and justice in the region. While the BJP, led by figures like Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, brands these martyrs as “traitors” and elevates Maharaja Hari Singh as a heroic figure, the majority of the Assembly—including prominent voices like M.Y. Tarigami, Waheed Parra, and Sajad Lone—stands resolutely in favor of the martyrs, viewing them as symbols of resistance against oppression.
Historical Context: A Struggle for Dignity, Not Communalism
The events of July 13, 1931, unfolded against the backdrop of Maharaja Hari Singh’s autocratic Dogra rule, a regime propped up by British colonial power. The massacre occurred when Dogra forces fired on unarmed Kashmiri protesters outside Srinagar’s Central Jail, killing 22 and injuring many more. These protesters, primarily Muslims, were rallying against religious desecration and systemic feudal oppression—issues that transcended communal lines and spoke to universal demands for justice and rights. Contrary to the BJP’s narrative, which seeks to paint this as a Hindu-Muslim conflict, no significant communal violence targeting Hindus was recorded in the immediate aftermath. Historical accounts, including the Dalal Inquiry Commission’s findings, emphasize the brutality of the Dogra response rather than any sectarian agenda from the protesters. This was a fight against tyranny, not a religious war.
The Indian National Congress leaders of the time—Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Mahatma Gandhi—did not condemn the martyrs. Nehru, with his Kashmiri roots, saw their sacrifice as part of the broader anti-feudal struggle, later aligning with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, a product of this awakening. Patel, focused on unity, never framed the event as treasonous. Gandhi, despite his non-violent creed, recognized the moral weight of dying for truth, a principle applicable to these deaths. Their silence on any communal angle and tacit support for Kashmiri aspirations underscore that the 1931 martyrs were freedom fighters, not traitors, even in the eyes of India’s national leadership.
The Assembly’s Stance: A Reflection of Popular Will
Today’s Assembly session vividly illustrates the martyrs’ enduring resonance. M.Y. Tarigami, the CPI(M) veteran, has consistently championed their legacy, calling the omission of Martyrs’ Day from the 2025 holiday list “unfortunate” and a distortion of history. His stance reflects a commitment to democratic values forged in the 1931 struggle—values like land reform and empowerment that Sheikh Abdullah later enshrined. Waheed Parra, the PDP MLA from Pulwama, moved a resolution to reinstate the holiday, framing it as a matter of dignity and identity for Jammu and Kashmir’s people. His bold intervention sparked the uproar, but also rallied support across party lines. Sajad Lone, leader of the People’s Conference, demanded a resolution to restore Martyrs’ Day, aligning with the sentiment that these sacrifices shaped the region’s political consciousness. Meanwhile, Salman Sagar, an NC legislator, raised slogans in their favor, met with a positive response from the House—a clear signal of the majority’s sentiment.
The BJP’s walkout after Sharma’s “traitors” remark was expunged by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather only deepened the divide. Their narrative, which glorifies Maharaja Hari Singh as a unifying hero for signing the Instrument of Accession in 1947, ignores his earlier reluctance and the oppressive policies that provoked the 1931 uprising. Hari Singh’s rule was marked by heavy taxation, forced labor, and exclusion of the Muslim majority from power—hardly the traits of a hero to most Kashmiris. The martyrs, by contrast, are revered as the spark that ignited resistance, a legacy cemented in the Mazar-e-Shuhada graveyard and annual commemorations until 2019.
Majority Sentiment: A People’s History
For the majority of Jammu and Kashmir’s population, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, the 1931 martyrs are not just historical figures but symbols of resilience. The high voter turnout in the 2024 Assembly elections—61.38% in phase one, 57.31% in phase two, and 65.48% in phase three—ushered in a government led by the NC-Congress alliance (48 seats), with the PDP (3 seats), CPI(M) (1 seat), and others aligning against the BJP’s 29 seats, concentrated in Jammu. This electoral mandate reflects a rejection of the BJP’s policies, including the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the erasure of Martyrs’ Day from the holiday calendar. The Assembly’s response today—cross-party support for the martyrs—mirrors this popular will. Even in Jammu, where the BJP holds sway, the lack of communal violence in 1931 undermines claims of a Hindu-targeted uprising, suggesting the struggle’s broader appeal.
The NC’s Tanvir Sadiq has vowed that “these holidays will be restored one day,” echoing a sentiment shared by the PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, who called the exclusion a “betrayal of aspirations.” The martyrs’ place in collective memory is not diminished by official erasure; it is reinforced by such political defiance and public reverence.
Against the BJP’s Communal Lens
The BJP’s attempt to communalize the 1931 events flies against historical evidence and current sentiment. Their narrative serves a political agenda—elevating Hari Singh to bolster a Hindu-centric history while dismissing the martyrs to weaken Kashmiri identity. Yet, this stance is “against the wind,” as the Assembly’s majority and the region’s history attest. The struggle was against autocracy, indirectly challenging British-backed rule, not a sectarian crusade. The Congress leaders’ recognition of this, coupled with the absence of communal riots in 1931, exposes the BJP’s framing as a modern imposition, not a historical truth.
The Martyrs’ Rightful Place
The 1931 martyrs deserve their place as heroes in Jammu and Kashmir’s narrative—not as traitors, but as catalysts of a freedom struggle that resonates with the majority today. The bold stances of Tarigami, Parra, and Lone, backed by Sagar’s slogans and the House’s positive echo, reflect a collective will to honor them. As the budget looms on March 7, 2025, under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who doubles as Finance Minister, this issue will likely shape the session’s tone. Restoring Martyrs’ Day would not just rectify a historical wrong—it would affirm the people’s voice over a divisive agenda, cementing the martyrs’ legacy as a unifying force for justice and dignity.
