Indian tourist dies in stone throwing protest in Kashmir

SRINAGAR,

India -- An Indian tourist was killed during a stone-throwing protest in Kashmir, officials said Tuesday, as the disputed region shut for a third straight day following the killings of civilians and rebels during weekend gunbattles and anti-India protests.

The tourist, from India's Tamil Nadu state, was critically wounded overnight when protesters pelted stones at the minibus he was traveling in on his way back from a tourist resort near western Narbal village, police said.

The 22-year-old was shifted to a hospital in the region's main city of Srinagar, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Separatists challenging India's sovereignty over Kashmir and pro-India Kashmiri politicians condemned the incident.

Shops, schools and businesses were shut again Tuesday to protest the killings of eight rebels and six civilians during anti-India protests and fighting with government forces over the weekend.

Police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled across the region and enforced a security lockdown in old parts of Srinagar, the urban heart of anti-India protests.

Internet on cellphones also remained suspended for the third straight day, a common practice by Indian authorities to make organizing protests more difficult.

India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Indiancontrolled Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country.

In recent years, Kashmir has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule as a new generation of Kashmiri rebels, especially in the southern parts of the region, has revived the militancy and challenged New Delhi's rule with guns and effective use of social media.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.