Thousands protest against killing in Kashmir
Indian policemen scuffle with activists during a demonstration in Srinagar, India - Photo by AP
SRINAGAR: Thousands of villagers, angry over the fatal shooting of a civilian, rallied in the Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday, burning two army vehicles, officials said.
The protest was sparked by the shooting death of a civilian early Saturday, and wounding of another, who trotted on horseback into an ambush the army had laid for suspected rebels in Kellar, a village about 35 miles (60 kilometers) south of Indian-administered Kashmir's main city Srinagar, said Shahid Mairaj, the area police chief.
The soldiers fired at the two men after they ignored warnings and tried to run away, Mairaj told The Associated Press.
"It was an accident," Mairaj said, but added that the army violated standard procedure by not informing local police about the ambush.
In the Saturday protest, thousands of villagers threw rocks and set two vehicles on fire, Mairaj said. Three civilians were injured in the clashes. Soldiers fired warning shots in the air to disperse the protesters who also raised posters with anti-India slogans, he said.
Mohammed Maqbool, a local resident, alleged that the soldiers fired into the protesters, wounding his son and many others. Riaz Ahmed, a doctor at a Srinagar hospital said two people were treated for bullet wounds.
According to an army statement, “A high-level inquiry has been ordered to investigate the incident.” It also said that troops exercised restraint.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Indian-administered Kashmir and government forces repeatedly have been accused of targeting civilians during their drive against nearly a dozen rebel groups fighting since 1989 for independence from India, or unification with Pakistan.
Skirmishes between Kashmiris and security forces are common. On April 15, villagers protested the killing of a 70-year-old civilian allegedly by the army in Indian-administered Kashmir.
More than 68,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the uprising and subsequent Indian crackdown.
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