A day after five civilians were killed during the clashes in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, the mainstream political parties, lawyers and trade bodies on Monday hit the streets to protest against the civilian killings, demanding an immediate end to the bloodbath in Kashmir.
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They have been identified as Saddam Paddar – a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Tawseef Sheikh, Molvi Bilal, Adil Ahmad and Muhammad Rafi Bhat – the Kashmir University assistant professor, who according to police had joined militant ranks after he went missing last week.
A soldier of the 44 RR of the Army and Anil Kumar, a policeman were injured during the encounter.
Bhat, a resident of Chundina in Ganderbal district, 20 kilometres from Srinagar, taught Sociology at Kashmir University.
The photograph that became viral in June 2015 marked a new age for militancy in the region as young militants posed boldly without masks in front of the camera and posted pictures online, in contrast to earlier times when they remained hidden and did not reveal much.
Anti-India protests and clashes continued in the area.
At the gunfight site, government forces killed all the five militants during the standoff.
Security personnel and protesters clash following a gunbattle between the forces and rebels in Srinagar, on Sunday. Security forces in their guarded response fired back, ” a police spokesman said.
“We made every effort so that they surrender”.
Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – Protests erupted in southern Kashmir after the killing of five civilians and five rebels – including a top commander – in a gun battle with Indian security forces. He refused, the police said.
Separatist organisations have called for a shutdown on Monday across Kashmir Valley and asked people to organise a sit-in outside Srinagar’s Civil Secretariat when it reopens on Monday after the government’s Durbar move from Jammu to Srinagar. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to reach the site of the standoff and threw rocks at troops in a bid to help the trapped fighters.
A guerilla war and separatist movement is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.
Government forces swoop after reports of militants holed up inside a house, triggering a wave of violent protests.
“For decades now, Kashmiris have been facing atrocities unleashed by India and its local puppet regimes”, the leaders said in a statement.
Asserting that political matters need political intervention, she said issues in Jammu and Kashmir can be resolved only through a sustained dialogue between all stakeholders.
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India often accuses Pakistan of fuelling the insurgency, a charge Islamabad denies saying it only provides diplomatic support to the Kashmiri struggle for right to self-determination.
