Jammu: The 130th birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, was observed across the Jammu region on Tuesday. The occasion saw leaders and civil society groups renewing calls for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.
Tributes were paid at various events to recall the Maharaja’s reforms and his pivotal role in the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India. However, the day also became a platform to voice concerns over the region’s continued UT status since 2019, when the central government revoked Article 370 and bifurcated the former state into the Union Territories of J-K and Ladakh.
In 2022, the J-K administration, under the Lieutenant Governor, declared the Maharaja’s birth anniversary a public holiday, responding to a long-standing agitation led by the Jammu-based Yuva Rajput Sabha (YRS).
“We have secured a public holiday on our Maharaja’s birth anniversary, and we will also restore the honour, pride, and glory of his state,” a YRS leader said after garlanding the Dogra ruler’s statue near Tawi Bridge, marking the culmination of a large motor rally that started from Talab Tillo on the city outskirts.
Maharaja Hari Singh’s grandson and former minister Ajat Shatru Singh, along with leaders from various political parties, participated in the rally, which passed through several parts of the city. Participants, dressed in traditional attire and carrying swords, chanted slogans praising the Maharaja and the nation.
“We urge the Centre to restore statehood and honour the Dogra turban and sword,” the YRS leader added, warning of large-scale agitation if the demand is delayed further.
On October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with India to counter an invasion by Pakistan-backed tribal forces.
The Dharmarth Trust, founded by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1846, marked the occasion by distributing a 130 kg Laddoo.
J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid tribute, stating, “A statesman of excellence and a harbinger of change, Maharaja Hari Singh introduced landmark reforms for the welfare of the common man. His legacy of inclusive governance, progressive vision, and contributions to the motherland continues to inspire us.”
Social organizations, as well as leaders and workers from political parties including Congress and BJP, held separate celebrations to honor the Maharaja.
J-K Congress working president Raman Bhalla pledged to intensify the campaign for statehood, emphasizing that Maharaja Hari Singh had enacted legislation to protect the land, jobs, and natural resources of the hilly state, including the state subject laws. “The BJP government’s disbanding and downgrading of the state removed these safeguards, which amounts to insulting the last Dogra ruler. The BJP should apologize to the Maharaja and the people, particularly the Dogras,” he said.
The BJP also celebrated the Maharaja’s birth anniversary at its party headquarters. “We remain an inseparable and proud part of the great Indian nation thanks to his vision and courage,” said J-K BJP president Sat Sharma, highlighting the ruler’s enduring contributions.
