News / India

One killed as deadly clashes erupt in Kashmir

Wednesday, 20 January 2016 4:28 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 20 January 2016 4:30 PM ]

Kashmiri villagers attend the funeral for suspected pro-independence leader Shariq Ahmed Bhat at a village of Pulwama district, south of Srinagar, on January 20, 2016. (AFP photo)

A series of violent clashes between police and the residents of Indian-administered Kashmir have left at least a protester dead and two others wounded in the disputed Himalayan valley.

On Wednesday, large crowds of angry protesters took to the streets of Naina and Batpora villages of Pulwama district, located south of the main city of Srinagar.

Chanting pro-independence slogans, scores of youths hurled rocks at government forces during protests in the troubled region. The protests were called by several pro-independence groups that oppose New Delhi’s rule over the valley.

Violent clashes erupted as Indian troops violently attacked pro-independence demonstrators and fired gunshots and used tear gas to disperse the angry demonstrators.

Inspector-General Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani has confirmed that a civilian had been killed and two men injured were hospitalized following the clashes.

The security clampdown comes after Kashmiri pro-independence leaders appealed for a massive march against the killing of two suspected fighters in a gunfight with security forces in the troubled region during the overnight encounter. A Kashmiri civilian succumbed to a bullet allegedly fired by troopers.

Kashmiri protesters clash with Indian security personnel after a college student was found dead near railway tracks in Srinagar on January 14, 2016. (AFP photo)

The Kashmiri villagers have accused the Indian security forces of firing at the civilians and damaging homes in the area.

The New Delhi government has deployed large contingents of police and paramilitary troops to most parts of Srinagar and several other major cities to prevent street demonstrations.

Thousands of people have been killed in violence in Kashmir since the 1980s.

Kashmir lies at the heart of almost 69 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it.

Islamabad and New Delhi have fought three wars, two of which were launched over Kashmir, since their independence from the British colonial rule in 1947.

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