India puts Kashmir in lockdown on rebel’s death anniversary
SRINAGAR, India — Residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir clashed with government forces Saturday as they defied a stringent curfew on the anniversary of the killing of a charismatic rebel leader whose death triggered open defiance against Indian rule.
Officials and witnesses said residents in the main city of Srinagar and at least four places in southern Kashmir tried to march on the streets while chanting slogans in favour of rebels and ending Indian rule. Police and paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.
The protesters responded by hurling rocks at troops. At least 15 people were reported injured in the clashes.
While Kashmir has remained on edge, the Indian and Pakistani armies, which regularly trade fire and blame across the de-facto militarized frontier that divides the disputed territory between them, fired at each other’s positions, killing three civilians and an off-duty soldier, officials said.