Dozens injured in Kashmir protests

SRINAGAR, Aug 13: Angry Muslims mourning at least 20 protesters killed by police torched security bunkers and rioted in occupied Kashmir’s main city on Wednesday, as a land row with Hindus revived calls for independence.

Police fired teargas shells to disperse thousands of Muslim protesters who defied a curfew at several places across the occupied valley, police said. They said over two dozen people were injured in clashes between stone-throwing protesters and police.

A curfew remained in force in much of the valley after some of the biggest protests since 1989 over what Muslim traders said was an economic blockade of their region by Hindus in adjoining Jammu. The land dispute has polarised Kashmir, severely curbing trade between the two areas.

In downtown Srinagar several thousand mourners, shouting “There is no god but Allah” and “We want freedom” attended a funeral of two protesters killed by police on Tuesday. The mourners set fire to roadside bunkers and hoisted green flags.

Shops and businesses were closed in Srinagar and special prayers were being held in mosques and homes. Police and soldiers dressed in battle gear patrolled deserted streets, often blocked with barbed wire.

Meanwhile, flag-waving Hindu protesters halted traffic on Wednesday along highways leading into the capital New Delhi.

Hindu groups blocked highways and stopped trains in several other Indian cities as well.

—Reuters