13 July 1931 and the Awakening of Kashmiri Politics
Dogra troops fire on a crowd outside Srinagar's Central Jail, killing 22 people, and a mass movement against the Maharaja is born, led by Sheikh Abdullah.
- Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace — Sumantra Bose, Harvard University Press (2003)
- Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir — Chitralekha Zutshi, Hurst (2004)
- Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights, and the History of Kashmir — Mridu Rai, Princeton University Press (2004)
- Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris — Christopher Snedden, Hurst (2015)
- Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War — Victoria Schofield, I.B. Tauris (2000)
In June 1931 a man named Abdul Qadeer, a cook from outside the state, gave a fiery speech in Srinagar urging Kashmiris to rise against the Maharaja, and he was arrested. On 13 July, as crowds gathered outside the Central Jail during his trial, police opened fire. Twenty-two people were killed, according to most accounts. Rioting followed, in which Hindu property was looted.
- Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace — Sumantra Bose, Harvard University Press (2003)
- Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights, and the History of Kashmir — Mridu Rai, Princeton University Press (2004)
- Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris — Christopher Snedden, Hurst (2015)
The day turned scattered discontent into a movement. A British-appointed commission recommended reforms, and in 1932 the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference was founded, led by a young schoolteacher, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. In 1939 he renamed it the National Conference and opened it to Hindus and Sikhs, aligning with Nehru’s Congress; a rival group revived the Muslim Conference and leaned towards Jinnah’s Muslim League.
- Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace — Sumantra Bose, Harvard University Press (2003)
- Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir — Chitralekha Zutshi, Hurst (2004)
In 1944 the National Conference adopted its “Naya Kashmir” (New Kashmir) manifesto, promising land to the tiller and equal rights, and in 1946 Abdullah launched a “Quit Kashmir” campaign against the Maharaja and was jailed. He was still in prison when Partition came.
- Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace — Sumantra Bose, Harvard University Press (2003)
- Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War — Victoria Schofield, I.B. Tauris (2000)
The martyrs of 1931 were the first to die for the dignity and rights of Kashmiris against an autocratic ruler. Their sacrifice began the freedom struggle that every valley party, pro-India or not, claims as its own.
- Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace — Sumantra Bose, Harvard University Press (2003)
- Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir — Chitralekha Zutshi, Hurst (2004)
The protest turned into communal rioting in which Hindu shops and homes were looted and Hindus attacked, so celebrating the day as "martyrdom" honours violence against a minority.
- Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris — Christopher Snedden, Hurst (2015)
Why it matters today
For decades 13 July was Martyrs' Day, a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir, and all valley parties honoured the dead at their graveyard in Srinagar. After 2019 the holiday was dropped and gatherings have often been blocked, which many Kashmiris see as an attempt to rewrite their history. In Jammu, some see the day as an anti-Hindu riot and object to it being honoured.