<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">An uproar erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday when opposition PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para sought the restoration of the July 31 holiday, which was observed in the erstwhile state as &lsquo;Martyrs Day&rsquo; and Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma remarked that those killed were &lsquo;traitors&rsquo;.&nbsp;
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The holiday was observed in deference to the Martyrs of July 13, 1931, who were killed in a firing incident outside the Srinagar central jail during the reign of Maharaja Hari Singh.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">During the discussion on the motion of thanks on the Lt Governor&rsquo;s address, Para demanded the restoration of the July 13 &lsquo;Martyrs Day holiday&rsquo;. After Para had ended his speech, BJP leader Sunil Kumar Sharma stood up and objected to his demand.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&ldquo;They were not martyrs, but traitors,&rdquo; Sharma said, evoking widespread protests from the NC MLAs as well as from Kashmir-based opposition parties.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The leaders demanded that the remarks be expunged from the records of the House.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">"These remarks were humiliating and divisive and should be withdrawn or expunged from the records,&rdquo; demanded MLA Bandipora Nizamuddin Bhat.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Amid continuous slogan shouting between the NC and BJP MLAs, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced that the remarks had been expunged from the records of the House.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">All the BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the House in protest against the expunging of Sharma's remarks.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Later, Peoples Conference (PC) MLA Sajad Gani Lone demanded that the House pass a resolution for the restoration of holidays on Martyrs Day and on the birthday of NC founder, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It must be mentioned that after J&amp;K came under the direct Central rule, both July 13 and December 5 (the Birthday of NC founder) were removed from the list of holidays.<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Instead, the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, was included in the list of holidays to be observed in the union territory.<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah made an appearance in the Assembly on Wednesday. Farooq Abdullah sat in the Speaker&rsquo;s gallery along with NC leaders Nasir Aslam Wani, Ajay Sadhotra and Rattan Lal Gupta.<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&mdash;IANS

The holiday was observed in defence of the martyrs of 31 July, 193; Sunil Kumar calls them traitors

Chaos in J&K Assembly Over 31 July Holiday Restoration

The holiday was observed in defence of the martyrs of 31 July, 193; Sunil Kumar calls them traitors

March 5, 2025 | 16:32 IST