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Accession Day of J&K: Why is the day celebrated in India and other details

Last Updated on October 26, 2020 at 5:27 pm

India is celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the successful accession of the Jammu and Kashmir region to India.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is holding a public holiday on the occasion for the first time. The Central government has decided to organize celebrations across the valley this time.

Ravinder Raina, BJP J&K Chief, said that every BJP activist and leader is helping in celebrating grand celebrations across the valley and they will organize celebrations like it is another Independence Day. He also said that senior minister from the Central Government may also address them on the special occasion.

On 20th February, 1947, British announced that they will soon give India independence. A couple of months later they announced on 3rd June, 1947 that the Muslim majority areas will fall under Pakistan and the Hindu majority areas will constitute India. But, the fate of the princely state of the Jammu and Kashmir was unclear as neither Cabinet Mission nor the British Government talked about it.

The princely state was given freedom to choose and one of the nations, either India or Pakistan, and draft an instrument of accession which has to be signed by both the ruler of the princely state and the Governor-General of the nation or dominion it was acceding to.

The ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh wanted some time to decide whether he wanted to join any dominion or remain independent. But before Maharaja could make up his mind, infiltrators with arms and ammunition aided by Pakistan attacked the state. One of the newspapers of the Muslim League, Dawn, wrote that the perfect time has come for the Jammu and Kashmir to join Pakistan. And if it fails to join Pakistan then the gravest consequences will follow.

Feeling threatened, Maharaja asked help from India which India promised if the state becomes a part of it. Maharaja accepted to accede to India and he wrote a letter to Lord Mountbatten, the then Governor General of India, on 26th October 1947. Lord Mountbatten accepted the instrument of accession on 27th October and J&K became a part of India.