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SRINAGAR, India (AP) — At least one civilian was killed and dozens of others injured Thursday in protests against Indian rule in disputed Kashmir that erupted following a gunbattle between rebels and government forces, officials and witnesses said.
Police said the gunbattle began after Indian soldiers and police cordoned off southern Arwani village, and militants hiding there began firing in an attempt to break through the siege.
As the fighting raged, thousands of people from neighboring villages ignored government orders to stay away and marched to Arwani in an attempt to help the trapped rebels escape.
A police officer said the protesters tried to storm the site of the gunbattle, leading to fierce clashes at several places around the village.
The officer spoke on a condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy.
Witnesses said government forces fired bullets, shotgun pellets and tear gas to disperse the rock-throwing protesters, killing a young man and wounding at least 40 others.
A police statement said the man died after being hit by a stray bullet.
One injured civilian was in critical condition. There was no word on any casualties suffered by the militants or Indian troops.
Clashes were also reported in several other areas of southern Kashmir in a show of solidarity with rebels who have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989.
Earlier Thursday, authorities blocked mobile and internet services in some areas of southern Kashmir to stop activists from organizing anti-India protests.
India and Pakistan each administer a portion of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Most people in the Indian-controlled portion favor independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Indian-administered Kashmir has been experiencing its largest protests in recent years.
At least 90 civilians and two policemen have been killed and thousands injured in the protests. Hundreds of the injured have been blinded and maimed, mostly by government forces firing bullets and shotgun pellets at rock-throwing protesters. Curfews, communication blackouts, crackdowns and separatist-sponsored strikes have largely paralyzed everyday life.
Rebel groups have been fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989 for either independence or a merger with Pakistan. Since then, more than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising and ensuing Indian military crackdown.
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