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Three suspected rebels were killed Sunday in an armed battle against Indian government forces in Kashmir, and at least three civilians were killed in an explosion at the site after fighting ended, officials and residents said.
Fighting erupted after troops surrounded a village in the southern Kulgam region, on a point hidden by the rebels, the Indian army said. The exchange lasted several hours, during which three militants were killed and two soldiers wounded, the newspaper added.
Residents said soldiers blew up a house of civilians with explosives while fighting the rebels, a common accusation made by Kashmiris, who are deeply unhappy with the presence of the Indian army.
As fighting raged, anti-India protesters tried to reach the deadlock site. They threw stones at government forces in hopes of helping the trapped rebels escape. Government forces fired shotguns and tear gas at protesters, injuring at least 35 people.
As police and counter-insurgents rushed away after the fighting ended, hundreds of civilians gathered at the site. An explosion took place while people were trying to extinguish the fire of the destroyed house, residents said, killing at least one civilian and injuring seven others who were hospitalized in critical condition. Two other civilians died in a hospital.
S.P. Pani, a senior police official, said the civilians gathered at the site despite repeated requests to stay away, the soldiers still cleaning the area. "A member of the crowd manipulated an unexploded explosive substance, which caused the tragic incident," he said.
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.
