Daily Times

Indian government forces martyred four Kashmiri youth in the occupied valley during a stringent lockdown to combat the coronavirus.

The youth were killed during a cordon-and-search operation which was launched by the troops late Tuesday night in Melhora area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in.

Indian police claimed that the youth were militants and that they were killed in an encounter with the troops. The occupation authorities have suspended 2G internet service and blocked all entry and exit points of the area.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Young Men’s League in a statement issued in Srinagar paid glowing tributes to the martyred youth. It said that the Kashmiri youth are rendering their lives for a sacred cause and their sacrifices would bring positive results soon.

Last week, police secretly buried the bodies of two Kashmiri youth as ‘unidentified’ in a faraway graveyard despite their families seeking to claim them. According to human rights groups, thousands in Kashmir are buried in unmarked graves, most of them close to the Line of Control. Indian authorities say those are the ‘militants’ and are of foreign origin who sneak into the Indian-occupied portion of Kashmir from Azad Kashmir to fight the occupation forces.

Most Kashmiris want the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian occupation. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown so far.