Accession Day, also known as Vilay Diwas, is a significant day in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that commemorates the signing of the Instrument of Accession by Maharaja Hari Singh, bringing Jammu and Kashmir into the Dominion of India on October 26, 1947.
In 2020, Jammu and Kashmir made it an official public holiday for the first time. Rallies, firecrackers, chanting India's national anthem, and hoisting the Indian flag are all part of the day's festivities.
Separatist Kashmiri leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and supporters of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference mark the "Accession Day" as "Black Day" in protest of alleged human rights violations by India's "occupation" of Jammu and Kashmir.
Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947.
Maharaja Hari Singh agreed to accede to the Dominion of India by signing this document under the requirements of the Indian Independence Act 1947.
Lord Mountbatten, the then-Governor-General of India, accepted the accession in a letter to Maharaja Hari Singh dated October 27, 1947.
As the country remembers the historic events of the day, have a look at how netizens have taken to Twitter to pay their tributes.
