Shotguns fired at funeral of Kashmir protester

Police have fired shotgun pellets at the funeral of a protester in the restive India-controlled part of Kashmir.

Security forces also sent tear gas into the crowd as mourners prepared to bury a man run over by a paramilitary vehicle during a demonstration on Friday.

Clashes broke out after police used force to stop the march as it was on its way to a graveyard in the city of Srinagar to bury Kaisar Ahmad Bhat.

Image: People carry the body of Kaisar Ahmad Bhat during the funeral

Officers said the procession was illegal because it broke a law banning gatherings on the street of more than four people.

Youths then regrouped and threw stones at troops while chanting slogans in favour of rebels and demanding an end to Indian rule over disputed area.

Police later took custody of Mr Bhat's body and allowed only a handful of relatives to take his coffin to the main cemetery.

Image: Kashmiri women grieve near the body of Qaiser Amin Bhat during his funeral

Kashmir has been beset by unrest for decades but had been relatively peaceful until the killing of a militant by security forces in 2016.

The protester who died on Friday was critically injured after a paramilitary police vehicle hit several men during an anti-India demonstration.

Residents said the armoured vehicle drove wildly into a crowd of protesters, crashing into six people and crushing at least two of them.

Image: A masked protester burns tyres during the funeral of Kaisar Ahmad Bhat in Srinagar

One of the victims remains in a critical condition.

Indian officials claimed the demonstrators injured in the collision were trying to drag the soldiers from their vehicle.

Troops and armed officers imposed a curfew in Srinagar ahead of the funeral, laying razor wire and barricades to control access to the event.

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Image: Protesters carry an injured man who was hit by a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle

The historical region of Kashmir is divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan but is claimed by both in its entirety. India-controlled Kashmir is part of Jammu and Kashmir state.

Up to 21,000 people died in conflict in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir between 1990 and 2013, the Daily Excelsior quoted a government minister as saying in 2014.

Original Article

World

July 03, 2018