Police use tear gas, rubber bullets to quell protest in Kashmir
Locals, angered by death of commander’s brother, demand end to Indian rule
SRINAGAR, INDIA— Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Friday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in Indian-controlled Kashmir who hurled rocks and chanted anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans, officials said.
Clashes erupted in at least two places in Srinagar, the region’s main city, shortly after Friday prayers as hundreds of young people tried to march through the streets to protest the killing of a militant commander’s brother.
The Indian army said the man was killed in a gun battle along with a militant on Monday, while his relatives and local residents said he was tortured to death.
The protesters also burned the Indian flag and demanded an end to Indian rule in the region. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Earlier, police arrested a top Kashmiri separatist leader for leading an anti-India demonstration earlier in the week and detained two others to prevent another planned protest in the Himalayan region.
Masarat Alam was initially placed under house arrest on Thursday night and then formally arrested Friday, police officer K. Rajendra said. The arrest came just weeks after he was released from five years’ imprisonment for organizing anti-India protests in 2010.
Police put the two other separatist leaders, Syed Ali Geelani and Shabir Shah, under house arrest to prevent them from leading the planned march, Rajendra said.
Police said Alam joined thousands of Kashmiris waving Pakistani flags at a rally in Srinagar on Wednesday and chanted “provocative and seditious slogans like ‘Long live Pakistan’ and ‘We want freedom.’ ”
The rally was held to welcome home Geelani, 85, who returned from New Delhi after undergoing health treatments.
Indian television channels repeatedly broadcast scenes of the rally, triggering outrage by politicians in New Delhi. Federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh called Kashmir’s top elected official, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and demanded stern action against Alam.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir and is often expressed through street demonstrations since Indian troops largely suppressed an armed uprising.
The disputed Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan. Residents of the Indian-held portion strongly favour independence from India or a merger with Pakistan.
An estimated 68,000 people have died in the fighting and the ensuing crackdown by Indian forces.