India police say four killed in Kashmir shootout

A gun battle has reportedly erupted between Indian troops and suspected militants in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing at least four people.

The gunfight broke out in streets near a 14th-century Muslim shrine, named Khanqah-e-Moula, in Srinagar’s Old City on Wednesday, a police statement said, adding that three militants and a police officer were killed.

Police said Indian government forces cordoned off the area close to the shrine after they received information about alleged armed militants hiding in a house.

According to witnesses, the gunfire broke out after Indian soldiers knocked at the door of a house and took away a young man.

“We don’t know where he is and now we hear (police) say he was a militant,” said the young man’s brother.

Troops also burned down the house.

The news of the deaths sparked anti-Indian protests in the city, where police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

Since last year, gun battles between government forces and pro-independence fighters seeking an end to the Indian rule in the disputed valley have become more frequent.

SS