The Legislative Assembly witnessed uproar on Wednesday after Leader of the Opposition and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma referred to the July 13 martyrs as “traitors.”
During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s address, Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra urged the government to reinstate the public holiday for Martyrs’ Day on July 13.
After he finished his speech, Sharma strongly opposed the demand.
“They were not martyrs but traitors,” Sharma said. His remarks sparked uproar from both the Treasury Bench members and opposition parties from Kashmir.
Several members demanded Sharma retract his remarks.
Jammu: BJP MLAs staged a walkout in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, protesting the Speaker’s bias and PDP’s remarks on Martyrs' Day
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BJP MLA and LoP in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma says, "During today's Governor's address, there was a heated debate when a member of the… pic.twitter.com/xCCFSz5R9C
MLA Bandipore Nizamuddin Bhat called Sharma's remarks “humiliating and divisive” and demanding they be removed from the official record.
As tensions rose, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather intervened and ordered that Sharma’s remarks be removed from the Assembly’s proceedings.
The BJP leaders staged a walkout against the Speaker’s decision.
Later, Peoples Conference MLA Sajad Gani Lone urged the assembly to pass a resolution reinstating public holidays for both Martyrs’ Day and the birth anniversary of National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
The Martyrs’ Day is commemorated in Kashmir to remember the 22 men who were killed on July 13, 1930, by Dogra forces outside Srinagar jail during a protest against the Dogra ruler.
They were buried in the graveyard attached to the Shrine of Khwaja Bahawuddin Naqshband in Srinagar, which has since come to be known as Mazar-e-Shuhada or the Martyrs' Graveyard.
After 1947, July 13 was an official day with political leader visiting graveyard to pay their respects. However, the day was removed as an official holiday of Jammu and Kashmir by the Centre after the abrogation of Article 370 along with December 5, the birth day of NC founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
