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Two killed in latest protests in Indian Kashmir
Agence France Presse - July 6, 2010
Izhar Wani, Srinagar, India – Two people were killed Tuesday when security forces opened fire at protesters in Indian Kashmir, police said, the latest in a series of deaths that have stoked public anger.
Crowds had poured on to the streets of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, vowing revenge and chanting "we want freedom" and "blood for blood" after the death of another protester on Monday.
Indian police and paramilitary forces struggling to control a wave of protests in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley have now killed at least 13 civilians in less than a month.
"One young man was killed when security forces opened fire at a very violent rally, and a woman was killed by firing at a different demonstration in Srinagar," a police officer who declined to be named told AFP.
The city has been at the centre of furious separatist demonstrations since June 11 when a 17-year-old student died from a police teargas shell. The latest deaths occurred when security forces opened fire to disperse several demonstrations triggered by the death of a protester who had gone missing on Monday and whose body was later found in a stream.
Protesters had thrown stones Monday at a convoy belonging to Nasir Aslam, a senior minister and close aide of chief state minister Omar Abdullah, prompting troops to chase them away.
Residents said the man drowned after being chased into the water by security personnel, but no official comment has been issued.
No further details were available on Tuesday's two deaths, except that the man and the woman died in firings at separate protests in Srinagar.
Each civilian death has sparked a new cycle of violence despite appeals for calm from Abdullah.
Thousands of mourners, including women and children, gathered as the coffins of two of the slain protesters were carried through the streets on Tuesday.
Leading moderate separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also led rallies through downtown Srinagar, calling for the end to the "killing of innocent people."
The unrest is a major test for Abdullah, who came to power last year promising to improve human rights.
Separatists in Kashmir have fought against rule by New Delhi for 20 years, campaigning for independence or for the Muslim-majority region to join neighbouring Pakistan.
The insurgency, which India says is fuelled by Pakistan, has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Amnesty International at the weekend urged the Indian government to investigate the spate of deaths.
It said that both security personnel and protesters involved in wrongdoing should be brought to justice, and pushed for the authorities to "avoid excessive use of force."
Police imposed strict curfews in most parts of Srinagar but protests continued in defiance of the restrictions.
Schools and colleges were closed after activists had appealed to students to hold anti-India protests.
India and Pakistan each hold Kashmir in part but claim it in full. They have fought two of their three wars over the region since partition of the sub-continent in 1947.
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