SRINAGAR, India — Paramilitary soldiers fired on thousands of demonstrators Friday in Indian Kashmir, killing three men and wounding at least 80 as protests against Indian rule spread across the disputed region.
Troops fired on protesters chanting pro-independence slogans in Pattan and Sopore towns, both northwest of Indian Kashmir’s main city, Srinagar, said a police officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.
Two people were killed in Sopore, and one died in Pattan, the officer and a doctor said. Protesters also attacked several police buildings.
At least 80 were wounded in clashes that occurred across the region, with injuries from bullets and tear-gas shells.
At least seven were in critical condition, police and doctors said.
The recent tension in the Himalayan region, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, is reminiscent of the late 1980s, when protests against New Delhi’s rule sparked an armed conflict. More than 68,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians, in the conflict.
The mostly Muslim region, where resistance to rule by predominantly Hindu India is strong, has been under curfew for most of the past six weeks as anti-India street demonstrations and clashes surged.
Friday’s deaths bring the number killed in the recent protests to 20. Earlier thisweek, authorities asked two retired judges to investigate the deaths.
Earlier Friday, violence occurred in Srinagar after two men were wounded when paramilitary forces opened fire on a group of anti-India protesters.
The soldiers shot at rockthrowing demonstrators, wounding two men, one critically, in the Chanapora neighborhood in Srinagar, said another police officer on condition of anonymity.
The second officer said the protesters began marching on the main road in Chanapora on Friday morning after separatists called for a protest march to Srinagar’s central Maisuma district.
Residents, however, said the injured men were not part of the demonstration, and soldiers shot them near their homes.
As the news of the shooting spread, thousands of residents in the city took to the streets chanting, “Go, India. Go back,” and “We want freedom.”
People were not allowedto attend prayers at Srinagar’s main Jamia mosque for a fifth Friday in a row.
However, authorities did not stop residents from attending prayers at smaller mosques in the city.
Meanwhile, shops, businesses and schools remained shut in Kashmir.
Separatists have told people to observe strikes to protest Indian rule for five days this week, excluding Tuesday and today to allow people to stock up on food and other essentials.
Separatist politicians and militants reject Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and want to carve out a separate homeland or merge with predominantly Muslim Pakistan.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 07/31/2010