Democracy at stake in J&K

NT Correspondent

Jammu & Kashmir: A defiant Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdul lah on Monday scaled the gates of the Naqshband Sahib graveyard to pay tribute to 22 people killed by the Dogra army in 1931 and said he was subject ed to "physical grappling" but was not to be stopped. Security forces had sealed the roads leading to the martyrs graveyard from both Khanyar and Nowhatta sides in down town Srinagar.

As soon as Omar Abdul lah's cavalcade reached Khanyar in the old city, he got off his vehicle and walked more than a kilo metre to reach the grave yard only to find the gates locked by the authorities. The chief minister then climbed over the main gate and entered the graveyard premises to offer 'fateha'. His security men and several other National Conference leaders also did so be fore the gate was finally thrown open Lashing out at Lt Gover nor Manoj Sinha and the police for trying to stop him and his entourage from entering the martyrs' graveyard, Omar Abdul lah told reporters, “It is sad that on the instructions of the people who claim that their responsibility is the security and law and order, we were not allowed to offer 'fateha' here. We were kept in house arrest (on Sunday).”

"See their brazenness, they tried to stop us today as well. They also tried to manhandle us. Police sometimes forget the law. Why was I stopped today, when the restriction was for yesterday?" added the furious chief minister. For all purposes, this is a free country, he went on to say. "But they think of us as their slaves.

We are not. We are servants, but of the people. I don't understand why they destroy the law while in uniform," he said. They think the martyrs' graves are here only on July 13, but they are here all year round." Opposition parties have condemned the “man handling" of CM Omar Abdullah by police as he attempted to enter the graveyard. In a post on X, West Ben gal CM Mamata Banerjee said the incident is unfor tunate and unacceptable.

“What is wrong in visit ing the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only un fortunate, it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen. What happened this morning to an elect ed Chief Minister @Oma rAbdullah is unaccept able. Shocking. Shameful." she wrote. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin questioned if it was appropriate for an elected chief minister to be treated in the same manner as Abdullah.

Stalin alleged that the Centre is systematically stripping away the rights of elected state governments from Tamil Nadu to Kashmir. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also took a poetic jibe at the Centre. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also reacted to the incident and said, “It is reprehensible that the unelected police and unelected adminis tration of Delhi are trying to control an elected Chief Minister.

Elected leaders are being put under house arrest… The LG of J&K has accepted that he is tak ing responsibility for the Pahalgam attack… If he is taking responsibility to save Delhi, to become its shield, then resign…"