Throughout history, the quest for justice and freedom has often been marked by moments of profound sacrifice. From the blood-soaked fields of Lexington and Concord, where the American Revolution began, to the peaceful yet powerful Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, where citizens toppled an oppressive regime without violence, these acts of sacrifice have catalyzed movements that changed the course of history. On July 13, 1931, Kashmir added its chapter to this legacy of resistance.
On July 13, 1931, Kashmir witnessed a pivotal event that would mark the beginning of its freedom struggle against Dogra rule. The massacre of 22 demonstrators by the police in Srinagar wasn’t just an isolated act of violence; it was the spark that ignited a movement for justice and self-determination among Kashmiri Muslims. This date has been chosen by historians to signify the inauguration of the Kashmiri struggle against the Dogra dynasty. The events of that day, although seemingly modest compared to contemporaneous developments in British India, held profound significance. For the first time, Kashmiri Muslims openly challenged the authority of the Dogra Maharaja, symbolizing a collective defiance against decades of oppression.
In 1930 and 1931, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed incidents of blasphemy that deeply offended the tolerant Muslim community. In response, Muslims in Srinagar organized a protest procession. During the gathering, a young man named Abdul Qadeer Khan took the stage and delivered a powerful speech condemning the Maharaja’s rule. He was subsequently arrested and put on trial, leading Kashmiris to demand an open hearing—a request denied by the Maharaja’s government. On the day of the trial, Kashmiris gathered outside the jail. When the time for the Zuhr prayer arrived, one individual began the Azan (call to prayer). The Maharaja’s police opened fire, killing him. Undeterred, another person took his place to continue the Azan and met the same fate. This tragic cycle repeated until 22 Kashmiris were shot dead.
This incident marked a significant turning point in the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, shaping the future course of Kashmiri politics. Sheikh Abdullah, in his book “Aatish e Chinar,” described how the news of the incident quickly spread across the Kashmir Valley. Abdullah hurried to the location and found one injured person still alive. Upon reaching him, the dying man said, “Sheikh Sb, we have fulfilled our duty; now it’s your turn.” Grieving Muslims carried the martyrs’ bodies to the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and launched protests against the government. Prominent leaders of Jammu and Kashmir were arrested and imprisoned.
This moment led Muslims to contemplate the formation of their own political party and embrace a democratic path to free themselves from the oppressive Maharaja’s rule. Thus, the Muslim Conference was established. Before the formation of this party, smaller groups of like-minded individuals were working towards creating awareness and safeguarding rights, but there was no structured political party representing Kashmiri Muslims or the larger Kashmiri populace at that time.
The British Resident in Kashmir, although aware of the Muslims’ grievances, was taken by surprise by the intensity of the unrest. The Maharaja’s government, unprepared for such open defiance, attempted makeshift solutions. Despite the ruler’s efforts to placate Muslim leaders, the political landscape of Kashmir had irreversibly shifted.The events of July 1931 brought new actors onto Kashmir’s political stage, notably Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, who emerged as a leader advocating for broad social mobilization. The older, more exclusive leadership of the Jama Masjid Mirwaiz found itself competing with this new generation, and external influences from Muslim organizations in Punjab further fueled the agitation.
In response to the upheaval, the British colonial government appointed a commission led by B. J. Glancy to investigate the grievances that led to the disturbances. The Glancy Commission’s report of 1932 included a powerful indictment of the Kashmir durbar’s partisan functioning in favour of its Hindu subjects to the neglect of Muslims. Strikingly, the report had also invalidated the principle of first peoples on the basis of which the Dogras and Pandits had re-imagined Kashmir as originally Hindu. Glancy’s report provided a corrective to nearly a century of marginalizing the largest number of the Kashmir state’s subjects. Through its many recommendations, it re-inscribed Muslims into their history and region. And, perhaps unconsciously, it also redefined the contemporary territory of Kashmir no matter what lay beneath its historical layers as Muslim. From here on, the challenge gathered a momentum that would end with stripping the legitimacy of the Dogra princes to rule over Kashmiris. Over the following decade, this newly grounded assertiveness extended into a wider struggle for the fulfilment of a spectrum of economic and political demands that culminated in the unravelling of Dogra sovereignty itself in 1947.
The massacre of July 13, 1931, thus marked the beginning of a sustained struggle that would eventually erode Dogra sovereignty. Over the next decade, the assertiveness born from this movement evolved into a broader fight for economic and political rights, culminating in the significant changes of 1947.The martyrs of July 13 are not just a memory but a testament to the enduring spirit of Kashmiri resistance. Their sacrifice paved the way for future generations to seek justice and equality, and their legacy continues to inspire the ongoing quest for self-determination in Kashmir.
