SRINAGAR, India — A young man was killed and dozens of other civilians were wounded Friday when Indian government forces fired bullets and shotguns to quell new protests against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
A police officer said thousands of Kashmiris defied harsh security restrictions and joined the protests after Friday Muslim prayers. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy.
Clashes broke out in more than a dozen places, including in the main city of Srinagar, between rock-throwing protesters and troops, who fired live ammunition, shotguns and tear gas.
Police said the man died in southern Pulwama town. At least 50 civilians were injured in the clashes.
A strict curfew, a series of communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of Kashmir’s largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8.
At least 67 civilians have been killed and thousands injured, mostly by government forces.