1931 Kashmir agitation

On 13 July 1931, thousands of Kashmiris flocked to the central jail in Srinagar to see the trial of Abdul Qadeer. As the time for obligatory jumma prayer approached, a Kashmiri stood up to deliver the adhan. The Dogra governor, Ray Zada Tartilok Chand, ordered his soldiers to open fire on them, in total 22 Kashmiris died in the firing.[2] According to Weekly newspaper,"The Kashmiri Musalmaan", Lahore, 10 May 1931-On 29 April 1931 which was verified by Kashmir history researcher Dr.Ashraf kashmiri, "Muslim at Jammu while offering Eid prayers , the Dogra DIG Chowdry Ram Chand and another police officer ,Babu Khem Chand ,told the imam Atta Ullah Shah Bukhari (or Mufti Muhammad Ishaque ) to stop the mandatory Friday khutbah in which he spoke about the cruel king of ancient Egypt Pharoah as indicated in Quran and accused him of making the political speech against the king.A young man Mir Hussain Bakhsh stood up to defy the ban and addressing the people told them that the Government had been guilty of interference in their religion. The cry was taken up by the congregation; they marched in a procession to the city’s main Masjid where a brief meeting was held condemning the incident. Chowdary Gowhar Rehman, secretary of newly established Young Men’s Muslim Association took a serious exception to this religious interference and held a protest meeting.The meeting was addressed by Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas Khan, Sardar Gauhar Rehman Khan, and Mistri Yakub Ali. Holding protest meetings from now on became quite frequent. The Muslims brought a complaint in the court of Additional District Magistrate under section 296 ,Ranbir Penal Code against the Hindu inspector for disturbing a religious assembly which was dismissed, as the Hindu Magistrate held that Khutba was not a part of the prayers. A large crowd of Hindus who were present in the court premises raised the slogans: "Khem Chand Zindabad" and "Hindu Dharam Ki Jai".

1931 Kashmir agitation
(Seated, right to left): Sardar Gohar Rehman, Mistri Yaqoob Ali, Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas. (Standing): Molvi Abdur Rahim (right) and Ghulam Nabi Gilkar
Date13 July 1931 (1931-07-13)
LocationCentral Jail, Srinagar
TypeAgitation
CauseAlleged desecration of the Koran by a Dogra policeman[1]
TargetKashmiri Pandits (Hindus)
Outcome500 soldiers sent to support Hari Singh and restore law and order
Deaths22

According to another news-paper, According to daily "Inquilab" dated 1/7/1931,"Another incident, on 4 June in the Central Jail Jammu.one Fazal Dad Khan, a police constable from Mirpur, was sitting on a cot when a Head Warder, Balak Ram, reprimanded him for being late on duty. In the meantime came one Labhu Ram Sub-Inspector who threw away his bedding in a fit of recklessness. It contained a copy of Panj Surah (five chapters from the Quran). Fazal Dad approached the Young Men's Muslim Association. (Khan, Freedom movement in Kashmir, p. 126). The Youngmen‟s Muslim Association at once issued a poster, calling upon all the Muslims of the State to hold protest meetings. The valley Muslim respond to call positively, and started peaceful protests. According to Resident to Pol. Secy, Government of India, 11 July 1931, File No.35-P(Sec)/1931; Rough Note on Political Situation op.cit., pp. 2–3,verified by Dr.Ashraf kashmiri, On 6 June, deputed G.E.C. Wakefield, his political Minister, to go there and investigate the matter. Wakefield met the representatives of all the eight Islamia Anjuman of Jammu on 9 June. He asked them to choose two members, and, along with them, investigated the whole matter the next day. Yet, in a Press Communiqué, the Maharaja deplored the incident, and, on the recommendation of the Enquiry Committee, retired Labhaya Ram from service.

According to Abdullah, Sheikh Mohammed, Atish-i-Chinar (Urdu), op.cit., pp. 80–82,Naturally concerned at these ominous developments, Maharaja Hari Singh had, some days ago invited a deputation of Muslims from both Jammu and Kashmir to meet him for talks. But while Youngmen‟s Muslim Association of Jammu chose four members of their deputation, namely, Mistri Yaqub Ali, Sardar Gohar Rahman, Chowdhry Ghulam Abbas and Sheikh Abdul Majid in a small meeting . On contrary, the valley based leaders decided to call for public meeting to reach a consensus for future discourse Government, and also to foster unity among the otherwise divided ranks among themselves. Accordingly, convened a public meeting at the Khanqahi Mualla of Srinagar on 21 June.About one lakh of Muslims were said to have gathered by this time and the Sheikh, then, one by one announced the names of seven men and got the approval of the gathering for their inclusion in the deputation which was to meet the Maharaja.

The members included Saad-ud-Din Shawl, Mirwaiz Moulvi Yusuf Shah, Mirwaiz Ahmadullah Hamdani, Aga Syed Hasan Jalali, Khawaja Ghulam Ahmad Ashai, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, MunshiShahab-ud-Din,chowdary Ghulam abaas and other leaders from Jammu .

The people carried the dead through the streets of Srinagar, chanting slogans opposing Dogra brutality. The incident shook the state, and a week-long period of mourning was observed. Traffic between Srinagar, Rawalpindi and Jammu was halted from 13 to 26 July.[2] The protests intensified; anti-Hindu riots began, leading to the death of three Hindus, the wounding of many more and the looting of Hindu-owned shops.[3][4] The Hindus retaliated, leading to more clashes between the two groups.[5] The violence spread to Kashmir province and Jammu; three British companies, numbering about 500 soldiers, were sent to support Maharaja Hari Singh and restore law and order. The incident led to the rise of young Sheikh Abdullah, and his rivalry with the maharaja continued until 1947.[6]

Meeting with the maharaja

Muslim representatives, including Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah, Mirwaiz Hamadani, Syed Hussain Shah Jalali, Saad-ud-din Shawl, Sheikh Abdullah, Ghulam Ahmad Ashai, Yaqub Ali, Munshi Shahab-ud-Din, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas and Gauhar Rehman, addressed the maharajah on 15 August.[7] They made a number of accusations against Hindus in general and the state administration and prime minister in particular, alleging that evidence given to the Riots Enquiry Committee was fabricated or suppressed.[7] The maharaja refused to dismiss the prime minister, and rejected the Muslim leaders' allegations as "unfounded".[7]

Temporary truce

The Muslim leaders were dissatisfied, but they met with the prime minister on 26 August and signed an agreement to end the agitation.[8]

Aftermath

The agitation temporarily subsided, primarily because of the Kashmir Darbar's conciliatory attitude toward its subjects (permitting Ahrar-i-Islam, Mazhar Ali Azhar and two companions to visit Kashmir privately). With the intervention of Muslim sympathisers outside Kashmir, 14 August was observed as Kashmir Day in Kashmir and several parts of India. Demonstrations and meetings were held in sympathy with Kashmiri Muslims. The meetings adopted resolutions calling for freedom of religion, the restoration of mosques and Muslim shrines, compensation for dependents of those killed or injured, and an investigation of the conduct of civil and military officers during the agitation.[9]

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References
  1. Christopher Snedden (2015). Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris. Hurst. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-84904-622-0.
  2. "Kashmir Martyrs Day observed". The Nation. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  3. Devaraju Nagarjun (2015). Clash of Identities Ethnic Conflict of Kashmir Dispute. University of California. p. 6.
  4. Rekha Chowdhary (2004). Jammu and Kashmir: Politics of Identity and Separatism. Routledge. p. 30.
  5. Kwasi Kwarteng (2011). Ghosts of Empire: Britain's Legacies in the Modern World. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 260.
  6. Christopher Snedden (2015). Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris. Oxford University Press. p. 131.
  7. Kaur, Ravinderjit (1996). Political Awakening in Kashmir. APH Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 9788170247098.
  8. Kaur, Ravinderjit (1996). Political Awakening in Kashmir. APH Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 9788170247098.
  9. Kaur, Ravinderjit (1996). Political Awakening in Kashmir. APH Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 9788170247098.

Further reading
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