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24 Hindus killed in Kashmir
24/03/2003 09:53 - (SA)
Srinagar - At least 24 Hindus were killed overnight by unidentified gunmen at Nadi Marg village in Indian-administerd Kashmir, police said on Monday.
A spokesperson said the gunmen went to the village, 54km south of Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar during the night and opened fire on residents.
Police have sent reinforcements to the village.
They said 11 of the victims were women.
An officer said the attack took place between 23:00 and midnight on Sunday.
Nadi Marg, he added, is usually protected by eight policemen but only four were on duty Sunday night.
All four ran away when the gunmen arrived, he said.
The killing is the second biggest slaughter of non-Muslim Kashmiris in the region.
About 37 Sikhs were gunned down in the town of Chattisinghpora on March 20, 2000, on the eve of a visit to India by then president Bill Clinton.
Indian Kashmir is in the throes of an insurgency by Islamic militants that has seen about 13 500 people killed since 1989.
Sunday's killing marks a major blow to attempts by Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to lure Kashmiri Hindus back to the divided state.
About 200 000 Hindus fled Kashmir in 1990, soon after the insurgency began.
- AFX
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