Death toll rises to 15 in Kashmir protests

Aug 2, 2010, 12:35 GMT

   Srinagar, Kashmir - The death toll in protests in India-administered Kashmir rose to 15 Monday, as mobs defied curfew orders and staged more anti-India demonstrations.

   Clashes erupted between locals and security forces in the state capital Srinagar Friday evening and spread to major towns of the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley over the weekend.

   Eight people were killed Sunday, making it the deadliest day of the protests. Four of them died when a police station was set ablaze near Srinagar and its explosives dump blew up.

   On Monday, a youth who was hit by a tear-gas shell during protests in the southern town of Bijbehara Saturday died in hospital, bringing the toll to 15, police said.

   The clashes continued overnight in Srinagar, where three police stations came under attack by rock-throwing protestors and some goverment buildings were set on fire.

   Authorities said a Centre Reserve Police Force camp was attacked in Bijbehara. Three people were wounded after security forces opened fire to disperse the mob.

   In the district of Budgam district protestors set government offices and a railway shed on fire. Clashes were also reported from the Batamaloo, Pampore, Kulgam and Shahbaad areas.

   Government officials have accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group and Kashmiri separatist organizations of inciting protestors.   Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met in New Delhi to discuss how to end the violence in the region.

   They agreed that any initiative in the troubled state, either political or administrative, could take place only after normalcy was restored, Abdullah said.

   'Tragically, we have locked ourselves into a cycle of violence where protests lead to deaths, leading to further protests, leading to further casualties. This cycle of violence must end,' he said.

   Angry mobs have protested against the killings of at least 32 civilians by troops in the Himalayan region since June 11.

   Strong anti-India sentiment in Kashmir often pits protestors against security forces who are present in large numbers to control a secessionist movement that peaked in the late 1980s.

   India accuses neighbouring Pakistan of aiding Kashmiri militants. Islamabad denies the charge, calling them freedom fighters. The disputed region is divided into two parts administered separately by each nation.