2 Kashmiri civilians killed by Indian troops

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Indian-held Kashmir

The number of Kashmiri civilians shot dead by Indian forces in the past month has risen to 52 after two men were killed Tuesday night.

According to police, Farooq Ahmad Kuchay was shot dead late Tuesday by Indian paramilitary troops guarding an Indian bureaucrat, who fired when their vehicles met with protesters on a highway in southern Kashmir. Another youth who was shot has been hospitalized with serious injuries.

Another civilian, Riyaz Ahmad, was also killed late Tuesday when returning from his work as a supervisor at an ATM machine in the capital Srinagar.

His vital organs were punctured by pellets according to an autopsy report, seen by a police officer who spoke to Anadolu Agency but cannot be named because they were not cleared to talk to media.

Such so-called non-lethal pellets are fired from shotguns used by Indian forces to disperse crowds but have been heavily criticized for the damage they cause, having blinded scores of protesters in recent weeks.

A region-wide strike called by pro-Independence Kashmir leaders reached its 26th day while curfew and restrictions imposed by the Indian government also remained in place.

Tuesday's deaths raised tensions that have not subsided since July 8, when the killing of a popular young Kashmiri militant commander, 22-year-old Burhan Wani, prompted widespread protests against Indian rule.

At least 52 Kashmiri civilians have been killed and over 2,500 wounded since in firing by Indian forces, while two police officers have been killed in the same period.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full.

The two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.

Since 1989, Kashmiri resistance groups in IHK have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict so far, most of them by the Indian Armed forces. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed regions.