Rebel deaths spark massive anti-india protests in Kashmir

Deadly protests against Indian rule erupted in several parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir yesterday following the killings of at least eight rebels in fighting with government forces.

At least two army soldiers were also killed in the fighting.

The new round of anti-india protests and clashes, which led to the killings of at least two civilians, comes after Indian troops launched deadly counterinsurgency operations targeting southern parts of Kashmir, where young rebels have revived militancy and challenged New Delhi’s rule with guns and effective use of social media.

The gun battles in southern Kashmir began overnight after government forces raided two villages following a tip that rebels were hiding there and came under fire.

Police said the militants tried to escape from a security cordon while firing their guns and grenades but were killed in the ensuing fighting.

Seven militants, including some commanders, were killed in the Shopian area, while one rebel was killed and another captured in Anantnag early yesterday, said police chief SP Vaid.

Two army soldiers were killed in the anti-militant operations and at least six police and soldiers were wounded, Vaid said.

Police said a third gunfight also erupted in Shopian, where several rebels were trapped.

No rebel group fighting against Indian rule immediately issued any statement about the fighting.

As the fighting raged, antiindia protests erupted in several villages in southern Kashmir in solidarity with the rebels.

Many protesters also tried to march to the sites of the clashes to help the trapped militants escape, leading to confrontations between rockthrowing residents and government forces who fired live ammunition, shotgun pellets and tear gas.

According to hospital officials and police, two civilians were killed and dozens of others injured in the ongoing clashes.

Some critically injured were shifted to hospitals in the region’s main city of Srinagar.

Authorities stopped train services, cut cellphone internet services in the most restive towns and reduced connection speeds in other parts of the Kashmir Valley – a common government practice aimed at calming tensions and prevent anti-india demonstrations from being organised. They also ordered curfews. Several protests and clashes also erupted in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-india rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes.