Indian Troops in Kashmir to Block Anniversary Protests
By VOA News
27 October 2008
India has deployed thousands of troops to its part of Kashmir to stop protests on the 61st anniversary of Indian rule.
The move comes as Indian soldiers shot dead five members of Kashmir's largest militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen, during an overnight Sunday gun battle.
In Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, Indian troops patrolled the deserted streets Monday. Separatists observed a general strike to mark the anniversary.
Shops, businesses, and government offices closed for the day. Police detained some separatists expected to lead protest rallies.
At least one person was killed and several others wounded on Sunday when police opened fire on a crowd of stone-throwing protesters in Baramullah, a town about 55 kilometers outside Srinagar.
Demonstrators chanting pro-freedom slogans had taken to the streets to call for the release of several people who had been arrested during a recent strike.
Indian government troops arrived in Kashmir on October 27, 1947, two months after India and Pakistan won independence from Britain. Their deployment came after the Hindu ruler of Kashmir said Muslim-majority Kashmir would join India and not Pakistan.
Kashmir has since been claimed by both India and Pakistan.
Violence has declined significantly after the two countries began a peace process in 2004, but people are still killed in almost daily shootouts.
About 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in Indian-administered Kashmir since a separatist insurgency began in 1989.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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