Anti-India Protests in Kashmir After Rebels Killed

Large anti-India protests and clashes spearheaded mostly by students erupted in disputed Kashmir on Tuesday after government forces killed two senior militants in a gun battle and fatally shot a protester during an ensuing demonstration demanding an end to Indian rule.

The protests following the killings spread across the region and were led mostly by students, after which authorities ordered the closure of educational institutions, AP reported.

Police Inspector-General Muneer Ahmed Khan said the two militants were killed after police and soldiers on a tip cordoned off southern Hakripora village early Tuesday.

Khan said the trapped militants fired at the troops, triggering a gun battle which lasted at least two hours.

Villagers said troops blasted two civilian homes with explosives during the operation.

As the gun battle raged, residents defied the security lockdown and clashed with government forces near the site of the fighting in an attempt to help the trapped militants escape.

A young man was killed and scores of others were injured in the clashes in the village.

Large protests and clashes against Indian rule spread to several other places across Kashmir, including the Himalayan region’s main city of Srinagar, as students boycotted classes and hit the streets.

Chanting pro-rebel slogans and demanding the end of Indian rule, the students hurled rocks at government forces after being stopped outside schools and colleges.

Troops fired shotgun pellets and tear gas, leading to pitched battles, including in Srinagar’s main commercial hub, where streets were strewn with rocks and broken bricks and the stench of tear gas filled the air.

Dozens more were injured in subsequent clashes.

Authorities closed all educational institutions on Tuesday and Wednesday as a “precautionary measure,” said Baseer Khan, a top civilian administrator.

Officials also blocked internet service in the region to stop activists from using social media to rally support against Indian rule.

Separatist leaders, who challenge India’s sovereignty over Kashmir, called for a shutdown Wednesday to protest the killings.

Police described one of the slain militants as a top commander of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and identified him as Abu Dujana. India blames the group for a 2008 attack that left 166 people dead in India’s commercial capital of Mumbai.

Khan, the police inspector-general, described the rebel commander’s death as “good riddance to a nuisance” and said counterinsurgency operations would continue despite civilian protests.