Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and several mainstream political leaders said they were confined to their homes on 13 July, preventing them from visiting Srinagar’s Mazar-e-Shuhada for the annual Martyrs’ Day observance. The National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party accused the Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha–led administration of imposing house detention to block tributes to the 22 Kashmiris shot dead by the Dogra army in 1931. Police denied ordering house arrests, saying movement restrictions were routine security measures. Early on 14 July Abdullah left his residence, walked past barricades and climbed a locked gate to reach the graveyard in Nowhatta, where he recited prayers and laid flowers alongside cabinet colleagues. Video of the fence-jumping drew national attention and prompted fresh criticism from regional parties, which called the curbs a “tyranny of the unelected.” The confrontation is the most visible clash between the elected government and the federally appointed administration since the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and struck Martyrs’ Day from the list of public holidays in 2020. While the Bharatiya Janata Party opposes official commemorations, local parties regard the anniversary as a symbol of resistance to autocracy. Abdullah said his government would continue to honour the 1931 victims despite administrative obstacles.