SRINAGAR - Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Held Kashmir on Wednesday after Indian forces killed a freedom fighter in a gun battle, police said.
Three soldiers were also wounded in the battle, which began on Tuesday when government forces cordoned off the village of Heff, around 50 kilometres from the main city of Srinagar.
News of the man’s death brought hundreds of protesters onto the streets where they hurled rocks at police, who fired tear gas and live bullets into the air to disperse them. “At least 15 people were injured in the clashes, including nine policemen and a district administrator,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media. Another police officer said the dead man was a member of Hizbul Mujahideen, one of several groups seeking independence for Indian-Held Kashmir or a merger with Pakistan.
The latest clashes came a day after the regional Peoples Democratic Party agreed to form a coalition government with ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party following state elections last year.