Kashmir shut down after deadly protests
Authorities have imposed a curfew in most parts of
Indian-controlled Kashmir on Friday following a strike call and a protest rally
by separatists to protest the killing of four villagers in the Himalayan
region. Thousands of police and paramilitary soldiers erected checkpoints and
laid barbed wire on roads in Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir, and were
enforcing curfew to prevent any anti-India protests. The curfew and strike
follow the fatal shootings of four villagers by government troops on Thursday.
More than 40 others were injured as troops clashed with locals protesting the
alleged desecration of the Muslim holy book by border guards in a remote,
mountainous village in the region, police said.
The violence, which came during the Muslim holy month of
Ramadaan, could trigger widespread protests in the disputed Himalayan region,
with separatist groups that reject India's sovereignty over the region calling
for three days of strikes and demonstrations beginning on Friday. Several other
Kashmiri towns were also deserted as shops, businesses and public
transportation shut down due to the curfew and strike. Authorities have
postponed university examinations scheduled for Friday and blocked internet
services on cell phones in an attempt to prevent demonstrators from gathering
on the streets. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, with both
countries claiming the region in its entirety.
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