Indian Kashmir under curfew as fifth protestor dies

SRINAGAR: Thousands of security forces enforced a curfew in the major towns of Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday after five protesters were shot dead.

Three people were killed on Friday in two separate incidents when security forces opened fire to contain angry anti-India demonstrations in northern towns of Sopore and Patan.

"Curfew is in force in Srinagar and other major towns of Kashmir Valley," a police spokesman said, referring to Indian Kashmir's summer capital. Srinagar had a deserted look as troops carrying rifles and batons patrolled the streets. Police and paramilitary forces were also deployed in strength in major towns to prevent demonstrations, the spokesman said.

Srinagar has been the focus of protests since June 11, when a 17-year-old student died after being hit by a police teargas shell. Indian police and paramilitary forces, who have been struggling to control the wave of protests in the valley, have been accused of killing 20 civilians in less than two months. Each death has sparked a new cycle of violence despite appeals for calm from state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Updated from print edition (below)

Two protesters killed in Indian Kashmir

Two protesters were shot dead on Friday in Indian Kashmir when the security forces opened fire on a large anti-India demonstration, witnesses said.

The fatalities added to a string of deaths that have fuelled a rolling series of angry protests across the Kashmir Valley in the past two months.

On June 11, a 17-year-old boy died after being hit by a police tear gas shell. With the latest deaths, the number of people killed in clashes with the security forces stands at 19, many of them teenagers.

Witnesses said the two men were shot when security forces opened fire on a demonstration in Sopore town, about 50 kilometres north of Srinagar. Both died on the way to hospital.

“Both men had bullet wounds and were dead by the time they reached us,” a doctor in Srinagar’s main hospital informed.

Police said they were gathering details on the incident, which came two days after the state government ordered a judicial probe into the recent spate of shootings.

The fresh deaths have increased the Sopore town’s tally of killed people to seven, since the first shooting there on June 25 killed two protesters.The deaths have brought thousands of residents out on the streets of Sopore and its adjoining villages.

Earlier in the day, authorities imposed a strict curfew in Srinagar after security forces opened fire at the stone-throwing protesters.This injured three people, with one being in critical condition.

No prayers were held at the region’s main mosque, the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, for the fifth consecutive Friday as security forces had sealed off entrances to the Mughal-built mosque with coils of barbed wire.

However, residents were able to attend prayers in smaller local mosques.More than 30 people were injured during Friday clashes between protesters and security forces across Kashmir valley, police said, adding eight people were hospitalised with bullet wounds.

Freedom fighters had called for protests on Friday.

New Delhi has blamed militant groups for instigating the latest unrest, while many locals see it as a spontaneous reaction to abuses by security forces, economic stagnation and political deadlock. It should be noted that the valley has been under strict curfew since the protests started in early June.

The probe ordered by the state government will be led by two retired judges and has been tasked with submitting its report within three month. It should be noted that the cases of all those detained for taking part in the protests, will be reviewed. AFP

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2010.