Handwara, 13 July(KNS): Senior political leader Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan was reportedly barred from performing Fatiha Khawani at Mazar-e-Shuhadaa in Handwara on the anniversary of the July 13, 1931 martyrs.

In a statement, Ramzan said he had been “unjustly placed under house arrest,” along with several colleagues, without any explanation or legal grounds. “My party workers were stopped at multiple checkpoints, blocked and dispersed to prevent them from reaching Mazar-e-Shuhadaa in Handwara,” he said.

Ramzan termed the restrictions as “a blatant assault on civil liberties and democratic values,” adding that Handwara was placed under an undeclared lockdown. “Every entry point into Handwara was sealed... with massive deployment of police and CRPF forces, all to prevent peaceful citizens from offering Fatiha to the martyrs of July 13, 1931,” he added.

He emphasized the historical significance of Handwara as one of only four sacred places in Jammu & Kashmir where people laid down their lives in 1931 resisting “tyranny, injustice and autocracy.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel”

Ramzan also stated that permission for the commemorative program had been formally requested two days in advance but there was “complete silence from the authorities.” Instead, he said, the event was met with house arrests and barricades.

Quoting Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, he argued that states and union territories have the right to declare public observance days, including commemorative events. “Yet, here in J&K, the memory of those who fought for democracy is being actively erased, censored and dishonoured,” he said.

Ramzan concluded by stating that the sacrifices of the July 13 martyrs would not be forgotten: “No force, no barricade, no repression will succeed in silencing the memory of our martyrs... Their legacy will continue to inspire resistance against injustice for generations to come.”(KNS)