Protests erupt in Kashmir

One civilian was killed and dozens of others injured Saturday after massive antiIndia protests and clashes erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir following the killing of a prominent rebel commander and his associate in a gunbattle with government forces in the disputed region.

Rebel leader Sabzar Ahmed Bhat and a fellow militant were killed after troops cordoned off the southern Tral area overnight following a tip that rebels were hiding there, police said.

The gunbattle ended later Saturday and soldiers recovered the bodies of two militants. However, they were searching the area for at least one more body, police said.

As the violence raged, hundreds of angry residents chanting anti-India slogans marched in an attempt to help the trapped rebels escape.

Clashes between rockthrowing protesters and government forces erupted in different places in the area, with police and paramilitary soldiers firing shotgun pellets and tear gas to stop the protests.

Witnesses said a young man was killed and several other people were injured after government forces fired on the protesters near the site of the gunbattle. Kashmir’s police chief, S.P. Vaid, said the man was killed by crossfire.

As the news of the rebel leader’s killing spread in the region, thousands of people, including students, took to the streets shouting “Go India, go back” and “We want freedom.”