World | India
Curfew in Kashmir valley brings life to a standstill
The streets of Kashmir's biggest city were largely deserted on Tuesday with police and soldiers quickly dispersing what few small groups of protesters dared to defy a curfew to demand an end to Indian rule in the Himalayan region.
- AP
- Published: 11:24 August 26, 2008
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Police detain Kashmir separatists
India detains Kashmir separatists ahead of rally
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One killed and dozens injured as police enforce Kashmir curfew
One killed and dozens injured as police enforce Kashmir curfew
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Indian troops enforce Kashmir curfew
Thousands of Indian troops enforce Kashmir curfew
Srinagar: The streets of Kashmir's biggest city were largely deserted on Tuesday with police and soldiers quickly dispersing what few small groups of protesters dared to defy a curfew to demand an end to Indian rule in the Himalayan region.
Unrest has roiled Kashmir since June, leaving at least 40 people dead, including five killed in the past two days when soldiers and police fired at Muslim protesters pressing for India to quit the region.
The latest death came yesterday when a man shot and wounded during a protest a day earlier succumbed to his injuries, according a police official who declined to be named.
He was one of 38 people with bullet wounds hospitalised following Monday's protests in Srinagar.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir said in a statement that soldiers opened fire on Monday after protesters shot at them, wounding two soldiers and two police officers. At least 17 protesters were believed to have been wounded.
Clamping down
But separatist groups organising the protests have repeatedly said such accusations are an attempt by authorities to justify the use of force against unarmed civilians. "India has no reason to clamp down on peaceful protests," Masarat Aalam, a prominent separatist leader, said yesterday.
With a curfew in a place yesterday for a third straight day in the Kashmir Valley, the Muslim heart of Kashmir, there was little chance for protesters to get organised and out on the streets. Even newspapers were having trouble handling the restrictions and none have been published in Kashmir for the past two days.
Authorities have ordered cable operators not to broadcast local Kashmiri news channels, presumably to limit images of the unrest
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