Public Holiday On Maharaja's Birth Anniversary Divides Opinion In Jammu And Kashmir

A public holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last monarch of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under the British Raj, has exposed fault lines between the two regions. In Jammu, groups are celebrating the day, and political parties are paying homage to the Maharaja. In Kashmir Valley, there is eerie silence as the ruling National Conference termed his reign as repressive.

Maharaja Hari Singh is the only monarch of an erstwhile princely state in India whose birthday has been declared a public holiday. The decision of public holiday on September 23 was taken by the Centre in 2022, while the public holiday on the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the first elected Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was cancelled. After the abrogation of Article 370, another important public holiday, Martyrs' Day on July 13, was also cancelled.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the irony,'' said Tanvir Sadiq, chief spokesman of the UT's ruling National Conference.

"A leader associated with land reforms that empowered the tiller and transferred land ownership to the poor has his holiday removed, while a holiday commemorating the ruler under whose reign Kashmiris endured repression is celebrated. No hatred. No prejudice. Just history. Facts are facts. Period," he posted on X.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the irony.

A leader associated with land reforms that empowered the tiller and transferred land ownership to the poor has his holiday removed, while a holiday commemorating the Ruler under whose reign Kashmiris endured repression is… pic.twitter.com/22th6AOdUn

— Tanvir Sadiq (@tanvirsadiq) September 23, 2026

The BJP paid floral tributes to the Maharaja and held separate functions at its party headquarters in Jammu and Srinagar.

"I hope every generation will remember and celebrate the contributions the Maharaja has made for the country and Jammu and Kashmir,'' said Divyani Rana, a BJP MLA.

On Tuesday, the issue rocked the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and triggered a face-off between the National Conference and BJP after NC members demanded that the public holiday on the Maharaja's birthday be cancelled if the holiday on the Sheikh's anniversary was not restored. BJP members started raising slogans of "Maharaja amar rahey" (Long Live The King) and accused the NC of insulting his memory

The NC legislators resorted to slogans like "Sher-i-Kashmir Zindabad", referring to Sheikh Abdullah as 'Lion of Kashmir' and calling him a symbol of democracy who fought against autocratic rule and gave rights to the people.

Several members, including those from the PDP, also demanded the restoration of a public holiday on July 13, known as Martyrs' Day. Traditionally, July 13 was observed as a public holiday with official functions held at the Martyrs' Graveyard to pay tribute to the 22 people killed during the 1931 uprising against the Dogra monarchy under British rule. However, after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories in 2019, July 13 was removed from the list of public holidays. Official commemorations and ceremonial police tributes were also discontinued, and the area around the cemetery is sealed off on July 13. On Martyrs' Day, no one was allowed to visit, not even Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

After the 1931 killings and the unrest that followed, the Maharaja and the British Raj were forced to restore some political rights of the people. Two separate commissions were appointed to examine the grievances of the Muslim community in Kashmir. It eventually resulted in limited political reforms. The first Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 1934, marking the beginning of the electoral process in the region, although the Maharaja continued to retain sweeping powers on key matters until the British left.