ISLAMABAD: Indian forces killed two Kashmiris during a gunbattle in the outskirts of Srinagar on Wednesday, sparking protests by residents.
Indian troops laid a siege around a neighbourhood in Srinagar on a tip that Kashmiri fighters were hiding there.
The searches by troops triggered an exchange of gunfire, resulting in the deaths of two armed Kashmiris and injuries to four Indian soldiers and two counterinsurgency policemen.
The fighting sparked protests and clashes as residents tried to march to the site of the battle in solidarity with the Kashmiri fighters.
Indian forces fired warning shots, shotgun pellets and tear gas at the stone-throwing protesters, injuring at least four people.
Most Kashmiris support the cause of unifying the divided region either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country while participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
On Sunday, three youth were killed when the troops blasted a house. Six more were killed in troops’ firing and in an explosion while people were removing the debris of the blasted 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.
THIRD PHD SCHOLAR MARTYRED:
One of the two youth martyred by the Indian troops included a PhD scholar, third in less than past six months.
The martyred scholar, Dr Sabzar Ahmed Sofi, along with another youth Aasif Ahmed Gojri was killed by the troops after they blasted a house in Nowgam area of Srinagar.
Earlier, troops martyred Dr Muhammad Rafi Butt, a Professor of Kashmir University on 6th of May and Dr Mannan Wani, a scholar in geology from Aligarh Muslim University on 11th of this month. Those who have a close watch on day-to-day developments in occupied Kashmir said that the killing of PhD scholars negated the Indian propaganda that only uneducated and unemployed youth are resisting New Delhi’s illegal occupation, KMS reported.
The cold-blooded murder of Dr Sabzar and Aasif Gojri triggered massive protests in Srinagar, Islamabad and other parts of the territory. Several people were injured, three of them critically, when Indian troops fired bullets, pellets and teargas shells on the protesters in Dr Sabzar’s native area of Sangam in Islamabad district. The authorities suspended internet services and ordered closure of educational institutions in Srinagar, Islamabad and Budgam districts.
Meanwhile, thousands of people participated in funeral prayers of Sabzar Ahmad at Sangam in Bijbehara. A group of mujahideen including top commander Zeenatul Islam appeared and offered him a gun salute. Dr Sabzar Ahmad Sofi was buried amid pro-freedom and pro-Pakistan slogans.