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SRINAGAR, India (AP) – Armed soldiers and police invaded much of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday as separatists disputed the Indian regime by calling for a general strike to mourn the deaths of armed civilians and rebels clashes with government forces.
The death toll of civilians in an explosion after a fight between government forces and activists the day before was raised to seven, while another wounded young man died Monday in the hospital.
Government forces on Monday patrolled the streets of Srinagar, Kashmir's main city, and imposed security measures in inner-city neighborhoods in anticipation of anti-Indian protests. Shops, schools and shops have remained closed and public transport is no longer on the roads.
Eight fighters, including five militants and three Indian soldiers, were killed Sunday in a pair of battles, unleashed massive anti-Indian protests and clashes during one of the fights in which about thirty people were killed. been injured. The seven civilians were killed in the explosion at the site south of Kulgam after the fighting ended, police and residents said.
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Villagers protesting in Kulgam made several attempts to reach the site where the rebels were trapped, blocking the troops with stones and mistreating them. They were trying to distract the soldiers who, apart from firearms and grenades, had also used explosives to blow up the house where the rebels were cornered, residents and police said.
The authorities offered their condolences to the families of the dead and reaffirmed that civilians should not go to the scene of the shooting until they had been cleared of their explosives.
Some residents have accused Indian troops of using excessive explosives in populated areas and deliberately leaving explosives on the site.
"It's routine with them (the Indian army) to blow up houses with explosives for killing activists. Very moved by their victory over the assassination of the Kashmiris, they leave the area without having released unexploded explosives, "said Farooq Ahmed, a resident of southern Kulgam region where the incident took place on Sunday. "It's so badly planned, and it's happened so many times."
Anger increased in the area after the deaths, triggering demonstrations and clashes in many places. The separatist leaders called for Monday's strike to protest what it describes: "Indian occupation forces are crossing all the limits of the crackdown to break the fight for Kashmir freedom."
India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in full.
Most Kashmiris support the rebel claims of unification of territory under the Pakistani regime or as an independent country, while participating in civil protests against Indian control. In recent years, it is mainly young Kashmiris who have shown their solidarity with the rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in clashes in the streets during military operations.
The rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge refuted by Pakistan.
Nearly 70,000 people were killed during the uprising and repression induced by the Indian army.
