Armed men gun down father, 3-year-old son in Kashmir
Unidentified gunmen have shot dead a Kashmiri man and his 3-year-old son amid growing unrest and tensions across the Indian-administrated Kashmir.
Gunmen sprayed bullets at Bashir Ahmed Bhat, a 36-year-old former independence fighter, as he was carrying his son outside his home in the Sopore region of the disputed Himalayan valley late Friday.
Local sources said Bhat was killed on the spot, while his son died at hospital on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Syed Ali Geelani, a top pro-independence leader has demanded an independent probe into the incident. He has also asked people to hold a complete shutdown strike on Sunday in protest against the fatal attack.
Sopore and some other regions across the Muslim-majority region have seen a string of similar attacks in recent weeks.
On Monday, the bullet-riddled bodies of three local men bearing torture marks were found in the same region. The killings led to days of protest and clashes between local residents and Indian government forces.
Indian forces and pro-independence groups have blamed each other for the killings.
The UK-based Amnesty International rights group has censured India over a law that has given New Delhi’s forces legal impunity in the Himalayan valley. The emergency law, known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), gives thousands of Indian forces sweeping powers to detain suspects without trial, shoot on sight, and seize property.
The disputed region lies at the heart of nearly 68 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. The arch-rivals claim the region in full, but have only partial control over it.
Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir over the past 26 years.
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