Protests: Kashmir cries out for freedom on Eid
Thousands participate in protest demonstrations in Sopore and Srinagar after Eid prayers.
SRINAGAR, INDIA:
Thousands of demonstrators on Wednesday staged noisy anti-India protests in revolt-hit Kashmir after saying their Eid prayers to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Thousands of Muslims poured into the streets, shouting, "We want freedom!" and "Allah is great," after offering Eid prayers in the northern town of Sopore.
The protests were led by hardline separatist Syed Ali Geelani following the Eid prayers. Geelani addressed a huge gathering in Sopore's main square, urging India to end its "occupation of Kashmir".
"People of India are our brothers. We have no animosity towards them. We only urge India to end its occupation of Kashmir," Geelani said, as mainly young Kashmiri men chanted: "Go India, go back!"
Sopore was once the bastion of pro-Pakistan militants but in recent years the guerrilla presence has lessened following the start of a peace process between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
In Srinagar, meanwhile, police used tear gas to disperse crowds after another top separatist and leading cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressed thousands of worshippers as pro-freedom slogans rang out.
Farooq later urged India's leading anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare to "also voice concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Kashmir".
"People like Hazare should help us in ending human rights violations by troops in our state," Farooq told the crowd.
Anti-India sentiments run high in Kashmir where security forces are often accused of human rights violations by the local population. Indian officials say they investigate every claim and punish the guilty.
Hazare ended his 12-day fast last weekend when the Indian government conceded to the former army truck driver's demands for tough anti-corruption legislation.
Kashmir is in the grip of a more than 20-year-old insurgency against Indian rule that has left more than 47,000 people dead.
Indian Kashmir remains under heavy military control but this summer has not seen the cycle of violence and strict curfews that hit the disputed Himalayan region in recent years.
Thousands of demonstrators on Wednesday staged noisy anti-India protests in revolt-hit Kashmir after saying their Eid prayers to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Thousands of Muslims poured into the streets, shouting, "We want freedom!" and "Allah is great," after offering Eid prayers in the northern town of Sopore.
The protests were led by hardline separatist Syed Ali Geelani following the Eid prayers. Geelani addressed a huge gathering in Sopore's main square, urging India to end its "occupation of Kashmir".
"People of India are our brothers. We have no animosity towards them. We only urge India to end its occupation of Kashmir," Geelani said, as mainly young Kashmiri men chanted: "Go India, go back!"
Sopore was once the bastion of pro-Pakistan militants but in recent years the guerrilla presence has lessened following the start of a peace process between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
In Srinagar, meanwhile, police used tear gas to disperse crowds after another top separatist and leading cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressed thousands of worshippers as pro-freedom slogans rang out.
Farooq later urged India's leading anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare to "also voice concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Kashmir".
"People like Hazare should help us in ending human rights violations by troops in our state," Farooq told the crowd.
Anti-India sentiments run high in Kashmir where security forces are often accused of human rights violations by the local population. Indian officials say they investigate every claim and punish the guilty.
Hazare ended his 12-day fast last weekend when the Indian government conceded to the former army truck driver's demands for tough anti-corruption legislation.
Kashmir is in the grip of a more than 20-year-old insurgency against Indian rule that has left more than 47,000 people dead.
Indian Kashmir remains under heavy military control but this summer has not seen the cycle of violence and strict curfews that hit the disputed Himalayan region in recent years.