At least six people were martyred and another 100 injured as Indian troops in the occupied valley opened fire at protesters, media reports said on Wednesday.
The Indian army used bullets, teargas and pellets and engaged in shelling as protesters took to the streets of various towns, including Srinagar, Pulwama and Baramulla, despite the deployment of additional troops in the occupied valley.
The demonstrations were against New Delhi’s move to revoke Article 370 of the constitution that gave special rights to the Muslim-majority state.
The latest casualties come as curfew and a communication blackout in the disputed region persisted, with no means to contact anyone outside. TV channels, phone connections, and internet access stood blocked across the entire region to prevent the protests from spreading.
Armed soldiers stood in front of barbed wire in near-silent summer capital of Srinagar during a massive security lockdown imposed on the restive region by the Hindu nationalist government. Home to more than one million people, Srinagar now looks like a ghost-town: armed soldiers on street corners and in front of barbed wire barricades make up most of the few people to be seen. Soldiers man checkpoints about every 100 metres on main roads in the city. Only people in essential jobs are allowed to leave their homes. Virtually every shop is closed and residents said no fresh produce is arriving.
Most people stocked up with supplies of food in the days ahead of the curfew as rumours mounted that the New Delhi government was about to make its constitutional move, stripping Kashmir of its special privileges. With the curfew biting, only soldiers and police equipped with riot shields loiter in front of apparently abandoned buses and colourful trucks that block streets of shuttered stores.
Pigeons and stray dogs in the city’s scenic squares are untroubled by tourists, who journey to the region to enjoy the picturesque lake and local handicrafts, and touts attempting to hawk the latest wares.
Despite a paralysing curfew, imposed to head off unrest, sporadic protests have been reported by residents in Srinagar.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that in one incident a youth being chased by police ‘jumped into the Jhelum river and died’.
The incident happened in Srinagar’s old town which has become a hotbed of anti-India protests during the three-decade long resistance in Kashmir that has left tens of thousands dead. A source said at least six people have been admitted to hospital in Srinagar with gunshot wounds and other injuries from protests.