Kashmir violence kills soldiers, rebels
SRINAGAR, India — A man was killed and two other people wounded Saturday when India’s army opened fire during the funeral of a rebel in disputed Kashmir, police and residents said, as seven rebels and an Indian soldier were killed in gunbattles in the region.
Soldiers descended on a village in the suburbs of southern Shopian town as thousands gathered to participate in the funeral of a rebel killed along with four others in a gunbattle with government forces in a neighboring village early Saturday, said top police officer S.P. Vaid.
Vaid said the soldiers were acting on a tip that some militants had gone to the funeral and the forces faced a barrage of stones thrown by residents.
Locals said clashes broke out after soldiers fired live ammunition at the funeral procession, killing one person. Two others were wounded.
Earlier, soldiers and counterinsurgency police cordoned off a neighborhood overnight, leading to an exchange of fire with rebels, police said. One militant was killed while four more died early Saturday.
The fighting sparked protests and clashes as hundreds of residents tried to march to the site of the battle to help the militants escape. Government forces fired warning shots, shotgun pellets and tear gas at the stone-throwing protesters, injuring at least 15 people, three of them critically.