Authorities have imposed a curfew in parts of the Indian-controlled Kashmir following deadly clashes between police and protesters in the disputed territory. The curfew was re-imposed in Shopian District on Thursday, a day after a 27-year-old man was killed in firing by security forces. The new death brings to five the number of people killed in the area since the weekend. The curfew comes as separatist groups who oppose New Delhi rule over the Muslim-majority region asked people not to go to work on Thursday in protest at the killing. Shopian District Deputy Commissioner Bashir Ahmed Bhat said the man died on Wednesday when security forces fired pellets at people protesting near a police camp in the area, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the territory’s main city of Srinagar. Police denied any involvement in the shooting. “Our men were not deployed in the area,” said paramilitary inspector general Nalin Prabhat. Shopian has been scene of clashes between police and protesters since September 7, when paramilitary forces killed four men. Contingents of Indian forces have been deployed in several parts of the region to prevent more protests. Indian troops are accused of grave human rights violations in the region. Authorities have also deployed large police and paramilitary troops in most parts of Srinagar to prevent more street demonstrations. Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it. The neighbors agreed on a ceasefire in 2003 and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the ceasefire.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 10:46:29 +0000