Protests rock Indian Kashmir
2009-07-08 12:40
Srinagar -Troops in Indian Kashmir on Wednesday fired guns into the air and lobbed tear gas at mobs protesting the death of a man they say was abducted by security forces. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
The violence is the latest in a series of confrontations that periodically rock Kashmir, where separatists have been fighting Indian rule for 20 years.
Trouble started after the discovery of the mutilated body of Asrar Ahmed, 22, in a graveyard late on Tuesday. His family identified Ahmed by the clothes on his body, his father Mushtaq Ahmed told The Associated Press. He gave no other details.
The youth had gone missing in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, on Friday. Residents alleged that he had been taken into custody by security forces illegally.
As news of the body's discovery spread, hundreds of residents came out on the streets of Srinagar, hurling stones at security forces and setting at least one police vehicle on fire. Shops shut down hastily as security forces tried to beat back the protesters, firing above their heads and throwing tear gas. The clashes continued more than an hour later.
Officials have denied any responsibility for Ahmed's disappearance, and on Wednesday police refused to comment on his death.
Late last month, Indian security forces opened fire and lobbed tear gas to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing pro-independence demonstrators, killing four and injuring dozens in Baramullah town, 55km north of Srinagar.
Also, at least two people were killed and more than 400 injured in clashes during anti-India protests that erupted after the bodies of a 17-year-old girl and her 22-year-old sister-in-law were found in a shallow stream in late May.
Residents of the area accused Indian soldiers of raping and killing the women. Authorities have not commented on the allegations.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Muslim-majority Pakistan and claimed in its entirety by both. The South Asian neighbours have fought two of three wars over the Himalayan region since independence from Britain in 1947.
Separatist militants have been fighting since 1989 for the independence for India's only Muslim-majority region from the Hindu-majority country or its merger with Pakistan. More than 68 000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
- SAPA
