Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 18: Joint Forum of KP Organizations today demanded that the observance of July 13 as Martyrs’ Day be stopped in J&K hence forth and instead the October 26- the Accession Day be celebrated as State Day.
This demand was made in a press conference here, today which was jointly addressed by PK president Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, D N Kissu chairman All Displaced KP United Forum and Virender Raina official spokesperson Joint Forum.
They while justifying their opposition to observance of July 13 as Martyrs’ Day said that on this day first attack was made on minority Hindus in Kashmir in 1931 and many community members were done to death and their property looted and razed to ground.
Chrungoo said since then Kashmiri Hindus were observing the day as black Day but the State rulers since 1947 have been observing it as a Martyrs’ Day and also a gazetted holiday has been announced by Government on this day.
Mr Chrungoo said that Joint Forum has submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Raj Nath Singh in this regard seeking the intervention of GoI in stopping the observance of July 13 as Martyrs Day in the State of J&K in view of BJP being a ruling party at Centre and the part and parcel of Government in the State.
The letter was also released to press by the leaders of Forum during the press conference.
The letter while terming the matter of significant political and historical importance that has been stirring the conscience of a large segment of population in the Jammu and Kashmir State said GoI is aware of the fact that the State of J&K has been observing July 13 as the ‘Martyrs day’ over the last number of years. This day has also been declared as a State holiday despite stiff opposition from various quarters and particularly the nationalist minded people of the State. This is a travesty of justice with those people who were subjected to untold miseries and brutalities on this particular day in 1931 in the Kashmir Valley.
It said this day is being observed by the Kashmiri Pandit community as the Black Day since 1932 in commemoration of the persecution that was inflicted upon the society on that day in the valley of Kashmir. “We observe this day consistently as the Black Day even in our exile since 1990 at Jammu and other places.”
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