News / India

28 killed in India-controlled Kashmir over 2 weeks of violence: Report

Saturday, 16 October 2021 11:45 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 16 October 2021 11:45 PM ]

Indian forces patrol in a vehicle near the site of a firefight between suspected gunmen and government troops in the southern part of the Indian-controlled Kashmir, October 16, 2021. (Photo by AFP)

At least 28 people, including nine civilians, have reportedly been gunned down over the past two weeks during a fresh surge in violence and a government crackdown in the Indian-controlled Kashmir.

On Saturday, two gunmen were killed outside the main city of Srinagar, said police inspector general Vijay Kumar, according to AFP.

“Hours later, gunmen shot dead a street vendor and a laborer from outside Kashmir in separate shootings,” the police were quoted by the agency as saying.

Two troops also died in a "fierce firefight" near the highly-militarized ceasefire line between Indian- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, a military statement said.

Also on Saturday, a police officer from the Indian-controlled Kashmir told the news agency that more than 1,000 people had been arrested on suspicion of “links” with unauthorized groups.

Indian police detain hundreds in sweeping crackdown across Kashmir

Hundreds of people are detained in a crackdown by Indian police across Kashmir following "a spate of killings in the Himalayan disputed region".

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Kashmir's chief Muslim cleric, who has been under house arrest for more than two years, has warned in a statement that "systemic oppression" was taking its toll on Kashmiri youths.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their partition in 1947, with both countries claiming the region in full.

India regularly accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants and allowing them to launch attacks across the restive frontier. Pakistan strongly rejects the accusation.

India and Pakistan have fought four wars since their partition in 1947, three of them over Kashmir.

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