SRINAGAR: A complete shutdown is being observed, today, in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to mark Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, observed annually on July 13, local and western media reported.
According to media reports, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership has called for the complete shutdown to emphasize the urgent need for a peaceful and just resolution of the Kashmir issue and to highlight the Indian repression against Kashmiris, Hurriyat leaders, and activists.
The martyrs of July 13, 1931, were killed by Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh’s forces in front of Central Jail in Srinagar, where thousands had gathered to attend court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer, who had called for defiance against Dogra autocratic rule.
When a Kashmiri youth started the call to prayer, Dogra forces shot and killed him, and another man who attempted to complete the call to prayer was also shot dead. In total, around 22 Kashmiris sacrificed their lives before the call to prayer could be completed.
This massacre is regarded as the darkest chapter in the history of the Dogra regime, local media reported. The Dogra period is considered the worst era in pre-partition Kashmir’s history due to the severe brutalities inflicted on Muslims.
