SRINAGAR: Thousands of protesters clashed with police in Indian-held Kashmir Thursday after two ‘militants’ were killed in a gun battle with government forces, the army and witnesses said.

The gun battle broke out early Thursday morning in Shopian, 45 kilometres south of the main city of Srinagar, after protesters torched a police armoured vehicle.

“The militants fired on a patrol party. In retaliation both were eliminated,” said the army spokesman, Colonel N N Joshi.

The two militants were members of Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest local rebel group operating in Kashmir, he said.

After the shootout, thousands of angry villagers came out onto the streets, throwing stones at police and chanting slogans in support of the rebels.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters but later withdrew to avoid an escalation.

Authorities in Kashmir say there has been a rise in violent protests over the deaths of local militants in the restive Himalayan region, which is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.

Local police and the army have issued public warnings asking residents within a two-kilometre radius of a gun battle to stay indoors, but the request is usually ignored.

Hizbul Mujahideen is one of several rebel groups fighting an estimated half a million Indian forces deployed in the restive region, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands have died in the fighting, mostly civilians, since the insurgency broke out in 1989.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

PAKISTAN has now registered 50 polio cases this year. We all saw it coming and yet there was nothing we could do to...
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...