A claim is going viral on social media stating that Maharaja Hari Singh wanted to establish Democracy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1937 but Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah revolted against it. Raja Hari Singh crushed the rebellion and imprisoned Sheikh Abdullah on charges of treason.
Sheikh Abdullah and Jawaharlal Nehru’s Friendship was quite popular at that time. Nehru went to Kashmir to fight Sheikh Abdullah’s case and ended up entering the cabinet headed by Raja Hari Singh without permission. On being asked by Maharaja Hari Singh, Nehru answered: “I am the future Prime Minister of India”. Raja Hari Singh said: “Whoever you are, you cannot come here without permission, it would be better if you leave here”. But when Nehru did not agree, Hari Singh, in a fit of rage, slapped Nehru in the grand court.
Several users including a Twitter account named Amrinder Bahubali shared this post and made the above viral claim by writing a lengthy article on Twitter.
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Amrinder’s tweet has received over 2,000 likes and has been retweeted more than 1,000 times whereas it is viewed by 1.5 lakh users.
Moreover, other users are making the same claim.
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Fact-Check
The DFRAC team did keyword research on Google in the context of the above viral claim. We found some media reports during this process.
According to the Website Studyiq, “In May 1946 Sheikh Abdullah launched the Quit Kashmir agitation against the Maharajah Hari Singh and was arrested and sentenced to three years imprisonment but was released only sixteen months later on 29 September 1947”.
In 1941, Sheikh Abdullah’s National Conference joined the All India States People’s Conference. This organization was fighting against the monarchy in the princely states. Several prominent leaders of the National Conference were arrested.
According to the Historian Ashok Pandey, Nehru was the President of the All India States People’s Conference. He wrote a letter to the Maharaja that he was coming to Kashmir to fight the case of the people arrested on 19 June 1946. The Maharaja neglected his letter. When he reached Kashmir, an attempt was made to arrest him. He was accommodated in a bungalow. The next day, he received a message from Maulana Azad that the Kashmir issue would be examined later. There is an important meeting at the moment. Nehru returned from Kashmir and later the Maharaja sent an apology.
He further added: “Nehru was such a leader of the freedom movement even Britishers had not the courage to mistreat him. Maharaja Hari Singh remained under the control of the British regime. He also mentioned that Maharaja Hari Singh didn’t meet Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru”
Shiekh Abdullah was not the Prime minister in Maharaja Hari Singh’s Cabinet. Maharaja Hari Singh was the ruler of the Jammu and Kashmir region and Sheikh Abdullah had remained a prominent leader of that region.
According to a news article published by the Magazine Outlook India, “Abdullah was Prime Minister of J&K from 1948 to 1953. It was in 1953 that he was jailed in Kashmir Conspiracy Case after he started championing for Kashmir’s ‘Azadi’”.
Conclusion
It is clear from DFRAC’s Fact-Check that social media users’ claim stating Maharaja Hari Singh had slapped Nehru in the grand court is false.
