SRINAGAR: Army on Thursday renovated the grave of Maqbool Sherwani in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Maqbool Sherwani was a Kashmiri youth who delayed the march of raiders from Pakistan towards Srinagar on Uri-Muzaffarabad highway, they were indulging into plunder, raid and murder of innocent people.
He successfully misguided the raiders on to the wrong path when he was asked to guide them towards Srinagar airport. Sherwani and his volunteers, prising of various communities with no military training, set up road blocks and demolished bridges, thus protecting the fastest access to Srinagar. Subsequently raiders realized that their march towards Srinagar Airport has been delayed deliberately by Maqbool Sherwani. The brave warrior was finally caught by raiders and his body was mutilated and crucified before firing 14 bullets on it.
The body was nailed to a plank and tied till the Indian Army got it down. He died a martyr’s death on 07 November 1947 but not before inspiring the Kashmiris to rise up against the raiders. Two weeks after his death, Mahatma Gandhi paid tribute to him in a prayer meeting in Delhi to honour the supreme sacrifice made by the brave heart. The Indian Army paid tribute to the martyr and the 2nd Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry was formally christened as “SHERWANI PALTAN”. The grave of Maqbool Sherwani is located in old town, Baramulla and has been continuously looked after by Indian Army. To honour this great son of soil, Indian Army has renovated the grave of Maqbool Sherwani. The work commenced in the month of April 2021 and now stands completed.
On July 15 2021. Army organized remembrance prayers at the grave of Maqbool Sherwani and floral tributes were paid.
