✍️ By Anzer Ayoob
“Martyrs never die. But in Kashmir, they are being erased.”
As the sun rose over Srinagar on July 13, 2025, the gates to Mazar-e-Shuhada, the historic Martyrs’ Graveyard, remained locked. Roads were barricaded. Prominent political leaders placed under house arrest. And the state-run media spoke not a word about the 22 souls who laid the foundation of Kashmir’s modern political consciousness in 1931.
In today’s Jammu & Kashmir, even remembering is an act of defiance.
🔥 A Sacrifice Etched in Blood
On July 13, 1931, twenty-two Kashmiris were gunned down by the Dogra forces outside Srinagar Central Jail. They had gathered in solidarity with Abdul Qadeer Khan, a revolutionary figure charged with inciting rebellion against the autocratic Dogra Maharaja. As one young man stood to give the Azaan (call to prayer), he was shot. Another stood up. He too was killed. This continued — until 22 had been martyred, one after another, each determined to complete the call to prayer.
This wasn’t just a religious act. It was a political statement. A spiritual defiance. A rejection of tyranny.
Their deaths ignited a movement. A people long silenced had finally found their voice.
📖 From Revered Martyrs to ‘Controversial Figures’
For decades, July 13 was observed as Martyrs’ Day — a public holiday, a day of mourning and remembrance. Political parties from across the spectrum, particularly the National Conference, paid tributes. For many in Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal too, this day symbolized the awakening of Muslim identity and political assertion.
But since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, the narrative has drastically changed.
- Martyrs’ Day was removed from the official calendar.
- Access to Mazar-e-Shuhada has been routinely blocked.
- Leaders like Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have been detained for attempting to pay respects.
- Most disturbingly, the martyrs themselves are being vilified.
Some right-wing voices now label them as “communal fanatics” or “traitors” — claiming they opposed India’s unity or stood for a theocratic agenda.
But let’s be clear: these were unarmed civilians protesting an oppressive monarchy. Their resistance was against feudalism, not any nation. Recasting them as villains is not only historically inaccurate — it is a deliberate distortion to fit a new ideological order.
🧠 Why Rewrite History?
History, when inconvenient to the powers that be, is often rewritten — not with facts, but with force.
The legacy of July 13 represents:
- Kashmiri Muslim political consciousness
- Opposition to autocratic rule
- Grassroots defiance
- Faith intertwined with resistance
These themes clash with the current state narrative that seeks to homogenize Kashmir’s past into a neat, nationalist story. In this telling, there is no room for autonomy, aspiration, or alternate memory. Martyrs become ‘troublemakers.’ Resistance becomes ‘radicalism.’
🧭 From Chenab Valley: A Personal Reflection
Growing up in the Chenab region, I often heard elders refer to the Shuhada-e-Kashmir with reverence. Though we are geographically removed from the Valley, we are deeply connected in spirit. The aspirations they voiced in 1931 echo even here — in our grievances, in our longing for dignity, and in our memories.
Today, watching the state not only suppress remembrance but demonize the remembered, feels like a slow cultural erasure. Not just of facts — but of identity.
🕯️ Memory as Resistance
Despite bans, arrests, and locked gates, Kashmiris remember. Through social media posts. Through whispered stories at shrines. Through verses of Habba Khatoon and Iqbal. And through quiet visits to Martyrs' Graveyard when the cameras are gone.
The 1931 martyrs stood for something greater than themselves — and that is exactly why they are feared.
✍️ Final Words
To those rewriting our history: you may control the textbooks, but you cannot rewrite our souls.
To the youth: know that our history is not a burden — it’s a torch.
To the martyrs of July 13: we remember. We will always remember.
Because nations that forget their martyrs, forget themselves.
Anzer Ayoob
Journalist & Editor, The Chenab Times
Twitter/X: @AnzerAyoob
📍 Writing from Doda | Storytelling for the unheard.
