India mourns its dead soldiers amid calls for revenge

Thousands of mourners across India attended funerals for some of the 41 soldiers killed in a suicide bombing in Indianadministered Kashmir as a roundthe-clock curfew remained in force in part of the restive region.

The paramilitary troops were killed on Thursday as explosives packed in a van ripped through a convoy transporting 2,500 soldiers in the disputed Himalayan region, the deadliest attack in a three-decade-old armed conflict.

TV stations showed coffins wrapped in Indian flags being carried by thousands of people across their hometowns, such as Gaya in the east and Unnao in the north, after the bodies were flown to New Delhi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid a wreath.

India has accused Pakistan of harbouring the militants behind the attack, which has sparked nationwide outrage and some public calls for war against the nuclear-armed arch rival to avenge the killings.

Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947, with both the countries, which have fought three wars, claiming it in its entirety.

Two buses of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the 78-vehicle convoy were targeted by the bomber on a highway in the Pulwama district, just outside the main city of Srinagar.

The Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility, and the vehicle was driven by a known local militant named Aadil Ahmad, alias Waqas Commando.

The powerful blast reduced one of the buses to a heap of mangled debris. Pictures showed bodies and body parts strewn all over the highway.

“I feel proud of the martyrdom of my son.

“I expect the government of India to avenge the killings,” said Brish Soreng, father of one of the soldiers.

Modi had warned that those responsible had made a “big mistake” and would pay a “very heavy price”.

India is garnering diplomatic support after the attack and has vowed to “isolate” Pakistan diplomatically in the international community, saying it has “incontrovertible evidence” of Islamabad’s role.

Pakistan has rejected the allegations.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton called his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, promising to work with India to “ensure that Pakistan cease to be a safe haven for JeM and terrorist groups that target India, the US and others in the region,” according to a readout released by India’s foreign ministry to the media yesterday.

Angry street protests were held across many Indian cities and residents held candlelight vigils to pay tribute to the dead.

A round-the-clock curfew was imposed in Kashmir’s Jammu city, in the Hindu-majority part of the region, after mobs attacked Muslim properties and set fire to vehicles during a protest against the attack.