News / India

Curfew imposed in Indian Kashmir following militant cmdr. death

Saturday, 09 July 2016 8:07 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 09 July 2016 9:31 AM ]

Indian paramilitary troops patrol during a tense curfew in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, April 15, 2016. ©AFP

New Delhi has imposed an indefinite curfew in most parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir after security forces shot dead a top militant commander in the disputed Himalayan region.

On Saturday, thousands of armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear were deployed to the streets of many towns and villages across the region, including the city of Srinagar.

Indian authorities also ordered restrictions on the movement of people and traffic in parts of Srinagar, with police saying they had placed several militant leaders under house arrest.

The development came one day after Burhan Wani, a top figure in the pro-independence Hizb-ul-Mujahideen group, was killed along with two others in a shootout with Indian troops, acting on a tip, in the Kokernag area.

Police chief K. Rajendra Kumar described Wani’s killing as “a major success against militants in Kashmir,” adding, “This year we killed 83 militants in Kashmir, which is highest in recent years.”

Javaid Gillani, the inspector general of police for the region, also said that Wani was gunned down in “a specific operation based on intelligence” about the militant figure.

Witnesses said Wani’s death sparked protests in the city of Anantnag, with hundreds of demonstrators shouting pro-independence slogans.

People carry the body of Burhan Wani, a pro-independence militant leader, during his funeral in Tral, south of Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 9, 2016. ©Reuters

Kashmir lies at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute since India and Pakistan became independent in 1947.

New Delhi and Islamabad both claim the Himalayan region in full, but rule parts of it. The two countries have fought two wars over the disputed territory.

India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire in Kashmir on November 26, 2003, and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with the two sides trading accusations of violating the ceasefire along their de facto border dividing the disputed region.

Overall violence in Kashmir has declined during the last decade, but clashes between government forces and militants erupt regularly.

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