4 injured as Indian police clash with mourners in Kashmir

Rasa - At least four people have been injured in a renewed police crackdown on protesters in the main city of Srinagar in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

News ID: 438025

Date: 02 June 2018 - 22:54

RNA - All those injured in the violence on Saturday were protesters mourning the death of a young man who had been run over by a paramilitary vehicle a day earlier.

Police used tear gas and chili spray grenades to disperse thousands of mourners taking part in a funeral procession.

However, Kashmir inspector general of police S.P. Pani claimed that police’s use of force came after protesters hurled rocks at officers and troops. “There were some incidents of stone pelting in downtown but our (policemen) exhibited restraint and used minimum force,” Pani said.

The funeral on Saturday was held for Kaiser Bhat, 21, who died in hospital after being hit by a police vehicle during a demonstration against police violence near Srinagar’s Central Mosque on Friday.

People exchanged the gruesome video of the incident while images on social media also showed two young men under the vehicle, which was shown in the video racing toward a crowd.

Indian authorities said they will investigate the case, adding that the driver of the vehicle which belonged to the Central Reserve Paramilitary Force had been charged.

“We have taken a strong note of yesterday's incident and will take strict action,” S.P. Vaid, director general of Kashmir police, said Saturday.

According to Press TV, Kashmir lies at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute since India and Pakistan became independent in 1947.

India has deployed some 500,000 soldiers to Kashmir in what many see as a deliberate attempt to crack down on pro-independence demonstrations in the Muslim-majority region.

India and Pakistan rule part of disputed Kashmir but both claim the region in its entirety. Most of the people in Indian-controlled Kashmir want either independence or a merger with Pakistan. Thousands have been killed in more than two decades of unrest in the region.

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