Insurgents target Kashmir polls

Srinagar: Suspected Muslim militants carried out a series of grenade attacks on Monday, killing a civilian and wounding at least 20 people during by-elections in India's insurgency-wracked Jammu-Kashmir state.

The death occurred in the summer capital Srinagar when militants blew up a security forces jeep, police said.

Seven people were also wounded. No militant group has claimed responsibility, police said.

Elsewhere, militants hurled a grenade at a polling station in Wagora village north of Srinagar, injuring eight civilians and a soldier, who were waiting to cast their vote, said Reyaz Ahmad, a local police officer.

In Palhalan village, north of Srinagar, suspected guerrillas flung a grenade outside a polling station, injuring three policemen and a villager, Ahmad said. Voting was not disrupted.

Thousands of troops were deployed to guard the 400 polling stations where nearly 300,000 voters were expected to cast ballots to fill four seats in the 81-seat state legislature. One seat fell vacant after the incumbent was killed in a militant attack, one because of a resignation and two due to defections.

Among those contesting is Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress Party, which rules the Himalayan state in coalition with the People's Democratic Party. Azad took office on November 2 under a power sharing arrangement that calls for leaders of the two parties to take turns to hold the top elected office in the state.

Under the constitution, Azad had six months to be elected to the state assembly to confirm the post.

The PDP-Congress alliance came to power in 2002.

Insurgency violence reduced noticeably in the last three years when PDP's Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the chief minister. The Congress has assured that it will maintain Sayeed's "healing touch" policies credited with reducing violence.

About 67,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the 15-year insurgency by Islamic militants fighting for the Kashmir region's independence or merger with Pakistan.

Some 830 people, including over 100 political activists, were killed during campaigning and voting in the 2002 elections.

"Fear is always there. But we have to get some work done in the village so we are voting for a representative," said Subhuman Dar, a Singapore village resident.

In the past month separatists campaigned in villages urging people to boycott the polls.

"This is a disputed and garrisoned territory. There is no freedom. These elections are a sham," said Seed Ali Shah Geelani, the hardline leader of the main Kashmiri separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.