How did Jammu and Kashmir become a part of India? 9 facts on Accession Day
Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947, in which the state of Jammu and Kashmir joined the Union of India.
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India Today Web Desk
New Delhi
October 26, 2018UPDATED: October 26, 2018 12:56 IST
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with Maharaja Hari Singh, 1948. (Image: PIB)
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with Maharaja Hari Singh, 1948. (Image: PIB)
Accession Day is celebrated on October 26 every year to commemorate the day when th last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession in 1947.
The agreement made the former independent princely state of J&K join the Union of India.
Kashmir: A topic of debate
Before Independence, Kashmir was an independent princely state under the realm of Maharaja Hari Singh.
Even after all these years, Kashmir has remained a subject of debate between the governments of India and Pakistan.
Separatist leaders such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik have condemned the day as 'Black Day' and asked the residents to hoist black flags in protest against the Indian Army posted in Kashmir.
Recent development: J&K appeals to Modi to celebrate Accession Day
As reported by the Tribune on October 24, a joint statement signed by several prominent people -- including bureaucrats, judges, police officers and the civil society -- to the PM and J&K Governor called to celebrate October 26 as the official Accession Day.
BJP Jammu & Kashmir
✔
@BJP4JnK
BJP holds review meeting for Vilay Diwas
BJP J&K led by its State General Secretary Dr. Narinder Singh held a meeting regarding organization of an event on the historically important event of Vilay Divas (Accession Day) of J&K with the rest of India. https://www.facebook.com/504728902942146/posts/1897286650353024/ …
View image on Twitter
5
9:11 AM - Oct 24, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See BJP Jammu & Kashmir's other Tweets
It claimed that constitutionally, legally and politically, the accession made by Maharaja under the India Independence Act, 1947, was final and irrevocable.
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"It was a sovereign act as prescribed under the India Independence Act, which did not have any provision of "conditional", "temporary" or "interim" Accession," it reads.
9 facts on how Kashmir was included in India
Here are the series of events that led to the state of Jammu and Kashmir being a part of India.
1. Post-Indian independence
Kashmir was plagued with repeated invasions by the Pathan tribesmen after Indian independence in August 1947. Hence, Maharaja Hari Singh wrote to Lord Mountbatten seeking military help.
2. Mountbatten's advice
Mountbatten replied saying, "it is my government's wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Jammu and Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of the State's accession should be settled by a reference to the people". This remark is said to have sowed the seed of the Kashmir dispute.
3. Attempt to a plebiscite
Following Mountbatten's advice, the Indian government attempted a plebiscite, or referendum, for the Kashmiri people to decide if they wanted to stay a part of India, Pakistan, or remain an independent state.
4. The everlasting debate
The plebiscite could not take place as the Pakistani government and a part of Kashmiri residents questioned the legality of India's accession to Kashmir, which up till now remains a point of debate.
5. Instrument of Accession
Following this, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession at Amar Palace in Jammu on October 26, which India's last Governor-General Lord Mountbatten accepted on October 27.
6. Agreement with Pakistan
Hari Singh had earlier signed a 'standstill' agreement with Pakistan for uninterrupted trade and communication in Kashmir.
7. Pakistan's charges
The Pakistani government contested the accession stating that it was fraudulent and that Singh was forced to sign the agreement with India.
8. The debatable Accession Day
The exact date of Accession has also been debated on. While Indian historian Prem Shankar Jha said that the accession document was signed on October 25, British researcher Andrew Whitehead pointed out that it happened a day later.
9. Final nail in the wall
Early in the morning on October 27, the Indian Army's first Sikh battalion was airdropped in Srinagar where they resisted the Pathan invasion and officially completed Kashmir's accession to India.
Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947, in which the state of Jammu and Kashmir joined the Union of India.
ADVERTISEMENT
India Today Web Desk
New Delhi
October 26, 2018UPDATED: October 26, 2018 12:56 IST
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with Maharaja Hari Singh, 1948. (Image: PIB)
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with Maharaja Hari Singh, 1948. (Image: PIB)
Accession Day is celebrated on October 26 every year to commemorate the day when th last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession in 1947.
The agreement made the former independent princely state of J&K join the Union of India.
Kashmir: A topic of debate
Before Independence, Kashmir was an independent princely state under the realm of Maharaja Hari Singh.
Even after all these years, Kashmir has remained a subject of debate between the governments of India and Pakistan.
Separatist leaders such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik have condemned the day as 'Black Day' and asked the residents to hoist black flags in protest against the Indian Army posted in Kashmir.
Recent development: J&K appeals to Modi to celebrate Accession Day
As reported by the Tribune on October 24, a joint statement signed by several prominent people -- including bureaucrats, judges, police officers and the civil society -- to the PM and J&K Governor called to celebrate October 26 as the official Accession Day.
BJP Jammu & Kashmir
✔
@BJP4JnK
BJP holds review meeting for Vilay Diwas
BJP J&K led by its State General Secretary Dr. Narinder Singh held a meeting regarding organization of an event on the historically important event of Vilay Divas (Accession Day) of J&K with the rest of India. https://www.facebook.com/504728902942146/posts/1897286650353024/ …
View image on Twitter
5
9:11 AM - Oct 24, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See BJP Jammu & Kashmir's other Tweets
It claimed that constitutionally, legally and politically, the accession made by Maharaja under the India Independence Act, 1947, was final and irrevocable.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It was a sovereign act as prescribed under the India Independence Act, which did not have any provision of "conditional", "temporary" or "interim" Accession," it reads.
9 facts on how Kashmir was included in India
Here are the series of events that led to the state of Jammu and Kashmir being a part of India.
1. Post-Indian independence
Kashmir was plagued with repeated invasions by the Pathan tribesmen after Indian independence in August 1947. Hence, Maharaja Hari Singh wrote to Lord Mountbatten seeking military help.
2. Mountbatten's advice
Mountbatten replied saying, "it is my government's wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Jammu and Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of the State's accession should be settled by a reference to the people". This remark is said to have sowed the seed of the Kashmir dispute.
3. Attempt to a plebiscite
Following Mountbatten's advice, the Indian government attempted a plebiscite, or referendum, for the Kashmiri people to decide if they wanted to stay a part of India, Pakistan, or remain an independent state.
4. The everlasting debate
The plebiscite could not take place as the Pakistani government and a part of Kashmiri residents questioned the legality of India's accession to Kashmir, which up till now remains a point of debate.
5. Instrument of Accession
Following this, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession at Amar Palace in Jammu on October 26, which India's last Governor-General Lord Mountbatten accepted on October 27.
6. Agreement with Pakistan
Hari Singh had earlier signed a 'standstill' agreement with Pakistan for uninterrupted trade and communication in Kashmir.
7. Pakistan's charges
The Pakistani government contested the accession stating that it was fraudulent and that Singh was forced to sign the agreement with India.
8. The debatable Accession Day
The exact date of Accession has also been debated on. While Indian historian Prem Shankar Jha said that the accession document was signed on October 25, British researcher Andrew Whitehead pointed out that it happened a day later.
9. Final nail in the wall
Early in the morning on October 27, the Indian Army's first Sikh battalion was airdropped in Srinagar where they resisted the Pathan invasion and officially completed Kashmir's accession to India.
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