1 Dead in Indian Kashmir Protests After Man Hanged

One person was killed as protests broke out in at least two parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday despite a strict curfew to prevent violence after the execution of a Kashmiri man convicted in a deadly 2001 attack on India’s Parliament.

Mohammed Afzal Guru was hanged in New Delhi early Saturday. Ahead of the execution, authorities ordered people in most of the Indian-held part of the disputed Kashmir region to remain indoors indefinitely in anticipation of anti-India protests.

On Sunday, scores of people defied the curfew and clashed with troops who fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowds, a police officer said on customary condition of anonymity. Police said a man died in Sumbal village in northern Kashmir after he jumped into a frigid river while trying to run away from troops who were firing tear gas and using batons to disperse the mob.

In Watergam, a village near the town of Sopore, which was Guru’s home, at least four people were wounded, one critically, as police and paramilitary troops fired tear gas shells and bullets to disperse an angry crowd, police said. Four policemen were injured in separate clashes. Police said 23 troops and 13 protesters were injured in demonstrations on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of security troops were fanned out across the Himalayan region, and metal barricades and razor wire blocked all major roads in the area.

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the February 11th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.