‘We are not anybody’s slaves’
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, July 14: A day after they were stopped, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, his father and president of the National Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah, along with their party colleagues today made their way to “martyrs’ graveyard” in Old city Srinagar to pay homage to “martyrs” of 1931.
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Unprecedented scenes played out in the city this morning with the Chief Minister doing a virtual power walk and security personnel struggling to keep pace with him. His father Farooq Abdullah on the other hand took an autorickshaw and Minister Sakina Itoo drove pillion on a scooty to reach the “martyrs graveyard “in old city.
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Yesterday, the political leaders including those from the ruling party were allegedly put under house arrest and prevented from accessing the “martyrs’ graveyard”.
On seeing the gates of the graveyard closed after he walked on foot from nearby Khanyar Chowk, Omar scaled its wall with his personal security following suit.
Police had bolted the gates of the graveyard in the hope of stopping him and his entourage from entering the premises and were taken by surprise when he scaled the wall.
The Chief Minister gave a tough time to security officials as they tried to keep pace with him as he decided to walk from Khanyar Chowk to the Naqshband Sahib in the old city after his vehicle was stopped from proceeding with police sealing the road.
His security men and several other NC leaders also clambered over before the gate was finally thrown open.
NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah took an autorickshaw to reach the “martyrs’ graveyard” after police stopped his vehicle at Khanyar Chowk while Itoo reached the graveyard riding pillion on a scooty.
Police officials did not give up and tried to physically stop the Chief Minister while he was heading towards the specific graves.
Omar criticised Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and the police for trying to stop him and his entourage from entering the “martyrs’ graveyard”.
“It is sad that on the instructions of the people who claim that their responsibility is the security and law and order, we were not allowed to offer ‘Fateha (prayers)’ here. We were kept in house arrest (on Sunday). When the gates opened, I expressed to the control room my desire to offer ‘Fateh’. Within minutes, bunkers were put up and they were not removed late into the night,” he told reporters at the graveyard.
“Barriers were raised, but so was our resolve. Today, we stood firm at the Mazar-e-Shohada, offering fateha (prayers), laying flowers, and honouring the valour of 1931,” he said, adding “Today I didn’t inform them (the police) still a bunker was placed and attempts were made to stop us. We aren’t slaves of anybody but slaves of our own people.”
Later the Chief Minister stated that he was subjected to physical grappling for not doing anything illegal.
“This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff and was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal. In fact these “protectors of the law” need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fateh,” Omar posted on his personal X handle along with a video.
“Paid my respects at the graves of the martyrs of July 13, 1931. The unelected Government tried to block my way, forcing me to walk from Nowhatta Chowk. They blocked the gate to the Naqshband Sahib shrine, forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me but I was not going to be stopped today,” the Chief Minister posted on X.
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