Troops lock down Kashmir after killing 4 protesters, sparking more angry demonstrations

CP

8 09 2010

SRINAGAR, India — Tens of thousands of troops enforced a rigid curfew in Indian-ruled Kashmir on Tuesday, wary of violent demonstrations after the deaths of four protesters who were shot dead by security forces. However, at least 13 people were injured in clashes between government forces and hundreds of protesters in the troubled Himalayan region, police said.

The mostly Muslim Kashmir region has been roiled by anti-government demonstrations and clashes between protesters and government forces for the past three months. Monday’s deaths brought to 69 the number of people killed in the civil unrest against rule from predominantly Hindu India.

The streets of Srinagar, Indian-held Kashmir’s main city, and other towns were full of soldiers in riot gear on Tuesday.

Clashes erupted between government forces and protesters who defied the curfew in Srinagar and half a dozen towns and villages across the region.

At least 13 people were injured as police and paramilitary soldiers fired warning shots and tear gas to quell the protesters, a police officer said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

On Monday, four people, including two teenage boys, were killed when security forces fired live ammunition into crowds to disperse rock-throwing protesters in Palhalan, a village north of Srinagar, police said.

That led to more protests, with local residents saying there was no clash and that soldiers opened fire on a peaceful protest without provocation.

The state government ordered a probe into Monday’s shooting. In the past, human rights groups have denounced such investigations as weak moves to calm public anger.

Monday’s demonstrations against Indian rule continued until early Tuesday with tens of thousand of Kashmiris chanting, « Go India, go back » and « We want freedom. » Angry protesters attacked police stations with rocks and petrol bombs, a police officer said.

Troops fired warning shots and tear gas to quell the protests, he said. At least 14 people were wounded in the overnight clashes. The police officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. Protesters reject Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and want independence, or a merger with predominantly Muslim Pakistan.

The recent unrest is reminiscent of the late 1980s, when protests against New Delhi’s rule sparked an armed conflict that has killed more than 68,000 people, mostly civilians.

4 killed, 16 hurt as police fire on Kashmir protesters

CNN

September 6, 2010 –

Srinagar, India (CNN) — Indian police fired on pro-independence protesters in Indian-administered Kashmir Monday, killing four people and wounding 16 others, a senior police officer said.

The deaths bring to 69 the number of people killed in 87 days of violence, as demonstrators stage large protests and block highways in marches calling for independence for the region. Hundreds of others have been wounded.

Monday’s violence came in Palhallan, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Srinagar,when protesters blocked a highway. Police fired to disperse the crowd after some demonstrators began throwing stones, some of them targeting a motorcade carrying the Kashmir zone police chief.

Guards accompanying the motorcade chased members of the mob, injuring some in the process, a police spokesman said.

The police administration has initiated an inquiry into the shooting, the spokesman said.

« The ammunition of the policemen is being checked to (determine) responsibility. Those found to be involved shall be proceeded against strictly according to the law, » the spokesman said.

Thousands of people shouting anti-Indian slogans later blocked the highway. The Muslim-majority Kashmir has seen some of the worst unrest ever against Indian rule since June 11, when a teenager was killed in Srinagar by a tear gas shell.

New Delhi’s efforts to break the cycle of violence have not yet shown any results. Kashmiri separatists have put forth five demands for ending the unrest and starting a dialogue with New Delhi. They include the acceptance of Kashmir as an international dispute by New Delhi, which views it as a domestic problem. They also want the release of detainees and the withdrawal of security forces from civilian areas of Kashmir.

The separatists warned that if the demands were not met by the Muslim holiday of Eid, which falls later this week, they will intensify the agitation.

Kashmir has been a source of bitter dispute between India and Pakistan. The region is claimed by both, and each rules part of it. Indian-administered Kashmir has been in the throes of separatist violence for the past 20 years, leaving — according to the official count — 43,000 people dead.

However, many human rights groups and non-governmental organizations say the figure is twice the official estimate.

Troops fire on protesters in Kashmir, 3 killed

AP

6 09 2010

SRINAGAR, India — Government forces fired on protesters hurling stones at them in Indian Kashmir on Monday, killing three people and wounding at least 17 other demonstrators, police said.

For the last three months, the mostly Muslim Kashmir region has been roiled by demonstrations and clashes between protesters opposed to Indian rule and government forces. The deaths bring to 68 the number of people killed in the civil unrest.

Three people, including a 17-year-old boy, were killed when government forces fired live ammunition to disperse protesters in Palhalan, a village north of Srinagar, Indian Kashmir’s main city, said a police officer. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information to the media.

Local residents said there was no clash with the troops, but soldiers fired when the protesters refused to disperse. The state government has ordered a probe into the shooting incident.

« A clash had occurred near a highway in the morning and much after that we were peacefully protesting in the village, » said resident Meraj-ud-Din.

Later, as news of the shooting spread, thousands of people from Palhalan and neighboring villages chanting « Go India, go back » and « We want freedom » marched to a nearby highway and blocked it.

Police and paramilitary soldiers fired warning shots and tear gas to quell those protests, said the officer. There were no reports of injuries.

Police launched a probe into Monday’s shooting. « Senior police officers have taken a serious view of the firing. Ammunition of the policemen is being checked to fix the responsibility, » an official statement said.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. Protesters reject Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and want independence or a merger with Pakistan.

The recent civil unrest is reminiscent of the late 1980s, when protests against New Delhi’s rule in Kashmir sparked an armed conflict that has so far killed more than 68,000 people, mostly civilians.

Meanwhile, an Indian army spokesman said Monday that three suspected rebels were killed in an exchange of gunfire in a remote forest in northern Handwara district of Kashmir.

No casualties were reported among the Indian soldiers, Lt. Col. J.S. Brar said in Srinagar.

There was no independent confirmation of the army’s claim.

25 injured in clashes; markets abuzz on Ramzan »s last Friday

ibnlive.in.com

Sep 03,2010

Srinagar, Sep 3 (PTI) Twenty-five people were today injured in clashes between protesters and security forces in the Kashmir Valley including in Baramulla where troops opened fire to quell stone pelters. Curfew was lifted from Anantnag after four days today while elsewhere in the Valley, life returned to normal this morning after the hardline Hurriyat Conference suspended protests for the day, the last Friday of Ramzan.Five persons were injured in firing in Baramulla in north Kashmir, 55 kms from here, police said. The incident took place when a group of armymen were removing two « objectionable » flags from atop a communication tower and were attacked by stone pelters, they said.Initially, the troops fired some warning shots but as the mob refused to disperse, security forces opened fire in self-defence. Two of the critically injured identified as Tanvir Ahmad Gojri and Farooq Ahmad Tantray were referred to Srinagar for treatment.A woman was also injured when she was hit by a stone during the clash, police said.Earlier during the day, eight policemen and three civilians were injured in clashes at Kangan, 40 kms from here in Ganderbal district, while eight others were hurt in similar clashes at Nowhatta, Gojwara and Noushehra in interior Srinagar and Sopore town of Baramulla district.Shops and other commercial establishments opened early in the morning as people flocked to markets ahead of Id.Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had yesterday exempted September 5 and nine from strikes before Id.However, schools and government offices remained closed after the state government announced a public holiday.All modes of public transport could be seen plying on roads with many intersections in the city witnessing massive traffic jams. Serpentine queues were seen outside ATMs but banks were closed on account of public holiday. »Curfew was lifted from Anantnag town this morning as the law and order situation improved and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the area over the past three days, » a senior police officer said. Curfew was imposed in the town on August 30 after a youth was killed allegedly in firing by security forces.However, curfew was imposed in Kunzar area along the Srinagar-Gulmarg road, 35 kms from here, following protests, official sources said.They said the residents were protesting against the alleged police inaction in the case relating to the murder of 17-year-old Sameera last month.The Valley has been rocked by violence following the death of a teenager on June 11 after he was allegedly hit by a tear smoke shell near Rajouri Kadal area of the old city.Street protests have claimed 65 lives so far in the Valley.PTI MIJ SC

Forces Opens Fire In Baramulla, 7 Injured

kashmirobserver.net

Srinagar, Sep 03, KONS:  The soldiers opened fire on protestors in Baramulla on Friday evening, leaving seven persons with bullet injuries, two of them in a critical condition, while twenty more were injured in government forces  action at different places in the valley as Kashmir witnessed a respite in the ongoing strike on account of the last Friday of Ramzan.

In the first incident of firing involving the Rashtria Rifles during the current unrest in which 65 person , mostly teenagers, have been killed by the government forces, the personnel of the  46 Rashtriya Rifles opened fire in the Sabzi Mandi  area of Baramulla, leaving seven person s with serious bullet injuries.
According to reports, the RR men had spotted  a  green flag flying atop a mobile phone tower in the locality and climbed up to bring it down.

But this sparked protests in the area with people gathering near the scene to decry the RR action.

According to the police, a mob gathered on the scene and pelted stones on the ‘forces personnel,”  and five persons were injured in “retaliatory action,”   two of them seriously who were shifted to Srinagar for treatment.

The police did not clarify whether the “forces personnel” were the army or the CRPF, or what the nature of the “retaliatory action” was.

But according to reports and sources, the RR men opened fire on the crowds, and the police and the paramilitary personnel followed it up with heavy and severe cane charges, leaving eight more persons injured.

Those injured in the army firing have been identified as Tanveer Ahmad Gojri, Muhammad Yaseen Dar, Amir Qadeer, Shabir Ahmad, Irfan Ahmad, Farooq Ahmad Tantray, and a woman Shareefa.

Gojri, who had been hit by bullets in the thigh was shifted to the SMHS Hospital here along with Yassen Dar who had received gunshot wounds in the leg. The condition of both was said to be critical.

The firing sparked of vehement protests in the town as large numbers of people took to the streets,  to fight pitched battles with the police and the paramilitary forces who made heavy use of cane-charges and tear gas in a bid to quell the upsurge.

Clashes between the two sides were still on when reports last came in.

SRINAGAR
Several persons, including a number of forces personnel, were injured in clashes that broke out in old Srinagar localities after Friday prayers after stone-pelters took  to the streets.

Marchers being led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani in the Pathar  Masjid area were said to have pounced on a CID operative, giving him a sound beating and dumping his scooter into the river after tearing it apart.
Geelani was escorted back to his Hyderpora residence by a phalanx of motorcyclist outriders, but five bikers were reported to have been picked up by the police and put in a lock-up.

TOWNS
The Kangan township outside Srinagar too was gripped by tension and several persons injured when clashes broke out after the police and the paramilitary men tried to break up a procession with cane-charges and  tear gassing.

Tension gripped the Sopore town of north Kashmir after personnel of the Special Task Force of the police thrashed several street vendors and  ransacked their goods.

The vendors erupted in protest and began pelting stones at the uniformed personnel, sparking off clashes that continued for some time.

Four persons were injured when the police and the paramilitary forces cane-charged and  tear gassed [protestors that had emerged in various parts of the town against the STF rampage,

Curfew was lifted in the south Kashmir town of Islamabad after four days, but several persons were injured in and around the Kunazar area of Tangmarg in north Kashmir where curfew-defying protestors were attacked with cane-charges and tear gas.

Two dozen hurt in fresh Indian Kashmir clashes

AFP

4 09 2010

SRINAGAR, India — About 24 people were hurt Friday in new clashes between government forces and Muslim protesters in Indian Kashmir, where weeks of unrest have left over 60 people dead.

Five people were hurt when security forces opened fire to quell stone-throwing protesters in northern Baramulla town Friday evening, a police statement said.

Two seriously injured people were shifted to the main hospital in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir.

Some 19 more people, including eight policemen, were injured in clashes between security forces and anti-India protesters at four more locations across Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, police said.

About 65 protesters and bystanders have been killed over the past 11 weeks, mostly by security forces who have opened fire on rallies after being pelted with stones.

Government forces have struggled to contain the outpouring of anger triggered by the police killing of a schoolboy in early June. Protests against Indian rule began in Srinagar and have spread through the valley.

Meanwhile, thousands of people Friday defied a ban on protest marches and held a fresh demonstration in Srinagar.

Chanting, « Go India, go back! » protesters emerged from the region’s main mosque Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and marched through the streets.

They were led by top separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also the head imam at the mosque.

Senior separatists Syed Ali Geelani and Yasin Malik led two separate rallies against Indian rule in Srinagar and the neighbouring district of Budgam.

Separatists have threatened to continue the protests until India declares Kashmir an « international dispute, » pulls out troops from inhabited areas, repeals tough security laws and releases all political prisoners.

Separatists have spurned recent offers of talks by New Delhi in protest against the killings by security forces.

Kashmir has faced rolling curfews and separatist-sponsored strikes since the first killing on June 11.

~ par Alain Bertho sur 4 septembre 2010.

Publié dans दंगा, émeutes, riots