Two killed in clashes in Kashmir: India police

Two killed in clashes in Kashmir: India police


SRINAGAR, India, March 28 :(AFP) - Two people were killed and at least 14 injured Tuesday in clashes between protesters and troops and police in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said.

The clashes started when soldiers cordoned off a house in a village in central Kashmir in which at least one armed militant was hiding, said Inspector General of Police, Javid Gillani.

Hundreds of villagers, in a show of support for the rebels, threw stones at soldiers who had cordoned off the house. Two people were killed in the ensuing clashes in which government forces fired tear gas and ammunition to disperse the protesting crowds.

"Doctors said one man died of bullet injuries and another died after he was hit by a tear gas shell," said Gillani."Six civilian protesters and eight police and paramilitary personnel were also injured," Gillani told AFP.

Armed encounters between rebels fighting to end Indian rule over Kashmir and government forces have become more frequent since widescale unrest last year, after a popular rebel leader was killed in July by security forces.That unrest left more than 90 civilians dead and thousands injured.On Sunday two militants were killed when police ambushed their car in the southern Kashmir valley.

With elections next month for two seats to the national parliament, security has been stepped up and the government has sent in 20,000 troops. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.Rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers deployed in the region, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.The fighting has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.RSS