SRINAGAR: Five Indian policemen were killed on Friday when Kashmiri freedom fighters ambushed a police vehicle in India-held Kashmir (IHK), while two civilians were killed and several others injured by Indian troops when clashes erupted during a gun-battle between freedom fighters and government forces in the disputed region, officials and witnesses said.
Superintendent of Police Pani said rebels sprayed gunfire at the police vehicle in the southern Achabal area. All five officers on board were killed, he said. No other details were immediately available.
On Thursday, two police officers were killed in two separate shootings by suspected rebels in Srinagar, the region’s main city, and in the southern Kulgam area.
At the funeral of one of the killed policemen on Friday, hundreds of people shouted slogans calling for Indian-held Kashmir’s freedom.
Earlier Friday, Indian government forces cordoned off Arwani village in the south on a tip that at least two Kashmiri freedom fighters were hiding there, said Inspector General of Police Muneer Ahmed Khan.
Fighting erupted when the rebels began firing in an attempt to break through the siege, Khan said. Villagers said soldiers blasted at least two houses with explosives.
As the fighting raged, thousands of people in the village and neighbouring areas ignored the government security lockdown and marched to Arwani in an attempt to help the trapped freedom fighters escape. They hurled rocks at the troops and chanted slogans against the Indian rule.
Police said a young man and a teenage boy were killed and at least five others were wounded in the crossfire between the Indian government forces and the rebels. However, villagers dismissed the police version, saying the casualties occurred when the occupation forces fired live ammunition, shotgun pellets and tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Authorities suspended mobile Internet services in IHK and cellular service in some areas in the south, fearing activists would mobilise anti-India protests in the region.
Protests against Indian rule followed by clashes were also reported in other areas of the region. Several people were reportedly injured.
In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with freedom fighters and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against them.
The anti-India protests and clashes have persisted despite the Indian Army chief warning recently that “tough action” would be taken against stone throwers during operations.
Kashmiri leaders who challenge India’s sovereignty over IHK called for a general strike on Saturday to protest the killings.
Also on Friday, Indian soldiers fired at a taxi after it ignored orders to halt at a checkpoint in northern Bandipora, Khan said. Two civilians received bullet injuries but were reported to be out of danger.
Rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir’s independence or merger with Pakistan. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting and the ensuing Indian crackdown.