J&K leaders squabble over memorial for 22 martyrs

SRINAGAR: A row has erupted between separatist and mainstream leaders over the construction of a memorial for 22 martyrs who laid down their lives fighting Dogra monarchy in Kashmir in 1931.

The separatists planned to construct a memorial outside the Central Jail where 22 people were mowed down in 1931. Feeling isolated, the J&K government decided to develop the adjacent land into a park in memoriam of the 1931 martyrs.

The issue snowballed into a controversy with Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq threatening to mobilise people against the government for not allowing them to construct a memorial. 

“The memorial will come up at any cost. The government is trying hard to thwart our plan. We will announce another date to inaugurate the memorial at the site,” said Mirwaiz.

Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat was planning to pay obeisance at the under construction memorial at the Central Jail on July 13 to observe Martyrs' Day which is an official holiday in Kashmir.

J&K government has deployed a large number of police and para-military forces outside the prison to prevent separatists from holding any function. The movement of the local people has also been restricted.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Mehboob Iqbal said the martyrs of 1931 do not belong to a particular political party and that is why the government has decided to develop the land into a martyr’s memorial park.