—Official says eight youngsters killed by Indian firing, six killed by explosion
—Pakistan condemns Indian brutality, expresses solidarity with Kashmiris
SRINAGAR: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred 14 people and injured more than 50 other in Laroo area of Kulgam district of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) Sunday, triggering wide protests.
According to Kashmir Media Service (KMS), three of the martyred got killed during an exchange of fire with the troops. The rest were killed when an unexploded shell went off at the site of a gunfight in the southern district of Kulgam while people were removing the debris of the destroyed house.
The incident followed a cordon and search operation, jointly launched by Indian Army’s Rashtriya Rifle, Central Reserve Police Force and Special Operation Group in the district.
Some media reports quoted a police official saying that Indian forces carried out a midnight cordon around a dozen houses in Laroo village of the district on a tip about the presence of rebels. The operation resulted in the death of three rebels who were hiding in one of the houses, according to the official.
“There was an exchange of gunfire and grenades from both sides,” he added.
Rebels were locals and belonged to the south Kashmir villages of Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag.
“When the fight was over, the forces cleared the area and left. There was stone-throwing from all sides by the people even during the encounter. Despite requests not to visit the site, locals approached the gunfight site and a shell exploded,” he said.
According to media reports, deputy commissioner of the district, Shamim Ahmad, said that six civilians died in the blast and many others were wounded, some of them in the clashes. “The situation is under control and curfew has been imposed. Phone and internet services have been suspended,” the official added.
Bashir Ahmad, a local from Laroo village in Kulgam, said he saw “four dead bodies lying on the ground after a huge explosion”.
“When the crowd tried to go near the house which was in flames, there was an earth-shaking explosion. The people were trying to douse the flames and stop the fire from spreading,” he said.
“I was present at some distance. Everyone ran for survival. What followed was just smoke and dust. It seemed the darkness fell all around. When we went back I saw four dead bodies with my own eyes and those who were alive were taken to the hospital,” he added.
Another resident, Muhammad Shaban, from the same village, alleged that the “army did not clear the site after the gunfight was over”.
“In Kashmir, civilians are treated like animals. The Indian army leaves the shells at the site. It has happened in the past too and has even killed children who fiddle with the shells,” a resident said.
“They use heavy ammunition even while fighting one militant,” the villager said, adding that one of those killed was a 10-year-old boy, but it could not be officially confirmed.
After the news of the killings spread, the residents in large numbers in the villages of south Kashmir took to the streets, raising anti-India slogans. Thousands of troopers were rushed to guard the streets as curfew was imposed in the volatile villages of the district, according to officials.
At many places, stone-throwing youth clashed with the security forces.
The troops used bullets, pellets and teargas shells against the protesting youth. Doctors at Kulgam and Islamabad district hospitals said that they had received 44 injured youth.
Some critically injured were shifted to hospitals in Srinagar.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office condemned the brutal killings of Kashmiris by the Indian occupation forces and expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the killing of Kashmiri youth by Indian troops and drew the attention of the world community towards the worst atrocities of Indian security forces on innocent Kashmiris.
“The world conscience should raise its voice on this barbaric treatment,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan will continue to expose the true face of India on all international forums.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned brutal killings of innocent Kashmiris at the hands of Indian security forces in Kalgam in held valley and issued a statement saying that the international community was maintaining silence while Kashmiris were being massacred ruthlessly by Modi government unabatedly.
The joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik while condemning the killings in a statement issued in Srinagar, called for complete shutdown on Monday against the brutal killings in Kulgam.
The districts of southern Kashmir have emerged as the epicentre of anti-India protests in the last two years after the killing of young rebel commander Burhan Wani in July 2016. Wani’s killing sparked civilian uprising for five long months.
The rebels enjoy an overwhelming support in the region as people often march towards gunfight sites to help them escape.
To protest the killing, Kashmiri separatist leaders, who demand an independent state or merger with Pakistan, have called for a complete shutdown in the region on Monday.
The violence in the region, meanwhile, continues since Friday when a six-month pregnant woman was killed in crossfire in Pulwama village.
Last week, two rebels and a civilian were killed in an early morning gunfight in the main city of Srinagar, which had triggered massive clashes. Human rights activists demanded a “credible” investigation by the United Nations into the latest incident.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep among the Muslim-majority residents of the disputed territory. The gunfights are often followed by civilian protests leading to causalities.