Srinagar: The National Conference has decided to see on 13 July as the day of martyrs for the deaths of 22 Kashmiris at the hands of Dogra soldiers during a protest in 1931.Party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said, “Our stand is clear on July 13. We have deep respect for the martyrs of that day. We will see it, whether it has been declared a public holiday or not, the party spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said.He said that on July 13, the Dogra represents the collective struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir against the rulers and should not be given any religious color.Party chief Farooq Abdullah said, “These were the people who sacrificed their lives to free Jammu and Kashmir from the monarchy.” The party held a meeting on Monday to finalize the day’s system.In January 2020, six months after the cancellation of Article 370, the state government removed the public holiday list on July 13 and December 5, the birth anniversary of the national conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.On Monday, J&K APNI party chief Altaf Bukhari urged the government to “declare July 13 as a gazetted holiday in memory of the martyrs of 1931.”In March, PDP MLA Wahid Parra brought a resolution to the assembly, demanding restoration as a public holiday on 13 July. BJP MLA Sunil Sharma objected to his resolve, claiming that the 22 Kashmiris killed by Dogra forces in 1931 were “not martyrs, but traitors.”Sharma’s remarks staged a protest with the National Conference, PDP and Congress. The speaker later terminated Sharma’s comment from the official record.
