Srinagar

Congress leader and grandson of last Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir Vikramaditya Singh has landed in trouble over his tweets describing July 13, 1931 martyrs as “rapists, criminals and looters”. Kishtwar Chief Judicial Magistrate Sudhir Khajuria has ordered SHO Kishtwar to investigate whether it makes out to be a cognizable offence. Singh is the grandson of late Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, The Indian Express reported.

The report said that directing the SHO to hold a preliminary inquiry, the CJM ordered that “if any cognizable offence is made out, SHO Kishtwar police station is directed to proceed in accordance with law”.

The directions came on a complaint filed by district president of People’s Conference Sajjad Ahmed Najjar seeking action against Singh for his “derogatory remarks” against those killed on July 13, 1931, by then Maharaja’s forces in Kashmir. Najjar described it as a deliberate and malicious act on part of the accused to outrage religious feelings of the majority community, saying that the day has an important mention in state’s history and has been declared a public holiday by the government,” reported The Indian Express.

According to Najjar, Singh had, in his July 13 tweet, written: “Martyrs Day should be honoured for those thousands of hero’s who have sacrificed their lives for our nation”.

“On 13 July 1931, plunder, loot and rape by criminals & jailbreakers in Srinagar city was put to an end. It is a blot on J&K that is glorified as State Martyrs Day,” his tweets read.

In July 1931, around 23 people were killed by Dogra forces outside the Srinagar Central Jail when they were giving a call for “Nimaz Azan”, the complainant pointed out, seeking registration of an FIR against Vikramaditya Singh for his tweets,” said the report.