News / Pakistan

Police shoot dead man in Kashmir

Friday, 23 September 2016 7:13 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 23 September 2016 7:15 PM ]

Women flee during clashes between Indian forces and protesters in Srinagar, Kashmir, September 23, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir have shot dead a protester and wounded dozens of others.

A police officer said on Friday that a man had been killed in the northwestern town of Sopore in Baramulla district when Indian troops fired live munitions and shotgun pellets at protesters. The officer, who was not allowed to disclose information of the incident to media, spoke on condition of anonymity.

The deadly incident took place amid New Delhi’s heavy military presence and excessive use of force to subdue mass protests against the Indian rule over the Muslim-majority region.

Tensions in Kashmir rose this week following an attack on September 18 on an Indian military base, where nearly 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

Indian soldiers are seen in the village of Bandipora, north of Srinagar, Kashmir, on September 22, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

New Delhi accused militants coming from Pakistan of perpetrating the deadly attack.

Islamabad rejected the accusation and blamed India for escalating tensions by an “unprecedented arms build-up” along the disputed Line of Control between the two countries.

On September 21, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, speaking at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, warned New Delhi that Islamabad would do whatever it takes to balance out the provocative move.