Indian Forces Arrest More Than 1,000 Protesters in Kashmir

Srinagar, India-held Kashmir, 06 Dzulqa’dah 1437/09 August 2016 (MINA) – Indian Government forces have arrested more than a thousand protesters in Indian-controlled Kashmir in an attempt to stem deadly anti-India demonstrations in the Himalayan region, a top policeman said Monday.

Inspector-General Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani was quoted by SPA as saying the arrests were made over the past two weeks in a bid to end a month of protests in which more than 55 civilians and two policemen have been killed and thousands injured.

Kashmir has been under a security lockdown and curfew since the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8 sparked some of the largest protests against Indian rule in recent years.

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Wani has been eulogized by Pakistan as a martyr and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other top officers in his government have attacked India for his death, as well as for what they describe as the unjustified and blatant violation of human rights by India as it attempts to restore law and order in the Kashmir valley.

Tens of thousands of people have defied the curfew and participated in street protests, often leading to clashes between rock-throwing residents and government forces firing live ammunition, shotgun pellets and tear gas.

On Monday, tens of thousands of troops patrolled streets ringed with barbed wire and enforced a curfew in most parts of Kashmir.

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Shops and schools were closed because of the security crackdown and a separatist-sponsored protest strike. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)