Srinagar - Arab Today
Indian government forces fired shotguns and tear gas in India’s portion of Kashmir on Wednesday to break up new protests demanding an end to Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region, killing a young man and wounding dozens of other people.
The picturesque state is reeling from weeks of deadly violence.
As Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in the disputed region to discuss the unrest with local political, business and other leaders, thousands of residents rallied in Pulwama in southern Kashmir.
Security forces fired tear gas and shotguns to disperse the crowd which had defied a curfew to gather on the streets, said local police superintendent Rayees Mohammad Bhat.
“This youth died of (shotgun) pellet injuries,” Bhat told AFP.
At least 14 other protesters were injured in the clashes, said a doctor at a leading hospital in the main city of Srinagar where they were taken for treatment.
The clashes erupted after troops tried to stop thousands of people who defied a curfew in the southern town of Pulwama, another police officer said.
He said the protesters hurled rocks at the troops, who fired shotguns and tear gas. However, local residents said government troops swooped in on a neighborhood in Pulwama early Wednesday and vandalized a large tent shelter put up for a pro-freedom meeting and also beat up local volunteers.
Source: Arab News