Kashmir Martyrs day
Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir) is observed on July 13th each year to honor the memory of 22 Kashmiris who bravely sacrificed their lives in 1931. Kashmir had endured foreign rule for over four centuries, passing through the hands of the Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs, and finally the Dogras, who acquired control after purchasing the region from the British. The Dogra rule from 1846 to 1947 was marked by severe oppression of Kashmiri Muslims, including forced labor, exorbitant taxes, and harsh penalties such as capital punishment for cow slaughter.
During the incident on July 13, 1931, as the call to prayer approached, a young Kashmiri began the Azan. Governor Ray Zada Tartilok Chand ordered soldiers to open fire, resulting in the martyrdom of the young man. Undeterred, another youth took his place and was also martyred, with a total of 22 Kashmiris giving their lives to complete the Azan. Their bodies were carried through Srinagar’s streets amidst chants condemning Dogra brutalities, leading to a city-wide strike and a week of mourning.
This event reverberated across the state, halting traffic from Srinagar to Rawalpindi and Jammu for nearly two weeks. The 22 martyrs were laid to rest in the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Khawaja Bazar, Srinagar.
Despite the partition of the subcontinent, atrocities against Kashmiri Muslims persisted and continue to this day under Indian government rule. The human rights situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir remains dire, characterized by arbitrary arrests, torture, rape, and extrajudicial killings. Since 1989, the Kashmir freedom movement has faced brutal repression, including ethnic cleansing tactics aimed at suppressing Kashmiri aspirations for self-determination.
Today, Kashmir epitomizes state terrorism, where Indian occupational forces employ ruthless measures to silence voices demanding the implementation of UN resolutions. Methods such as targeted violence, village burnings, and custodial killings are systematically used against innocent Kashmiris striving for their legitimate rights and freedoms. Over the past 77 years, more than half a million Kashmiris have fallen victim to these atrocities.
This day serves as a solemn reminder of the ongoing struggle of the Kashmiri people for justice, freedom, and dignity in the face of enduring oppression.
The writer Zafar Iqbal is an Intern at YFK- International Kashmir Lobby Group, and a student of IIUI.
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