Kashmiris Protest Detention of Pro-Independence Leader

Srinagar (Press TV) - Several people have been injured in a series of fierce clashes between New Delhi’s forces and the demonstrators protesting against the detention of a separatist leader in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Date: 25 April 2015 - 21:31

News ID: ۱۳۱۷۹

On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators staged a rally in Narbal district on the outskirts of Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar to express their resentment over the detention of pro-independence leader Masarat Alam and a recent killing of a youth at the hands of Indian troopers.
Similar rallies were also held in several other towns across the Muslim-majority region.
The protesters also shouted pro-freedom and anti-New Delhi slogans during the demonstrations.
Local residents and witnesses said that the demonstrations were largely peaceful until Indian forces stormed the demonstrators and fired shots to break up the rallies. The protesters pelted stones at Indian forces in return.
Alam was arrested after following pro-Pakistan slogans at a recent rally in which activists waved Pakistani flags.
He has been arrested under the Public Safety Act, a law that will allow the state to keep him in jail for two years without trial. Alam has also been accused by New Delhi of sedition and waging war against the country.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri pro-independence leaders have also called for a general strike on Saturday to protest the killing and the detention of the separatist leader. The one-day shutdown strike has been supported by the pro-independence groups that oppose New Delhi’s rule over the troubled Himalayan valley.
Indian authorities have deployed large contingents of police and paramilitary troops to most parts of Srinagar and several other major towns to prevent street demonstrations.
The protests have intensified after a young protester was killed when Indian forces opened fire to disperse a group of people demonstrating in the disputed region on April 18.
Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 67 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it.
The neighbors agreed on a ceasefire in 2003, and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the ceasefire.