Kashmiris hold fresh protest after civilian killings

Protests have once again erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir after two civilians were reportedly shot dead by government forces amid a curfew in the region.

According to the reports, police said thousands of people took to the streets in the Pampore area and a neighborhood in Srinagar, the region's main city, on Wednesday, and chanted anti-India slogans.

According to locals, government forces fired tear gas in Pampore after thousands of people attended funeral prayers for a young man killed overnight.

The civilian was gunned down when police forces opened fire after being stopped at a roadblock set up by anti-India protesters late Tuesday.

A young man accompanying him was critically wounded and later hospitalized in Srinagar, a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

A private guard was also killed overnight at a bank in Srinagar with his family blaming paramilitary soldiers for his death.

Over the past month, the Indian-held portion of Kashmir has seen its largest protests against Indian rule in recent years.

On July 30, two Indian soldiers and two suspected pro-independence militants were killed in a gun battle in Indian-administered Kashmir near the territory’s disputed border with Pakistan.

The developments come as over 50 people have been killed and thousands injured in weeks of unrest in Indian-administered Kashmir, triggered by the death on July 8 of popular pro-independence commander Burhan Wani during a gun battle with Indian forces.

SS