Saturday, September 4, 2010

Two dozen wounded in Kashmir clashes


Paramilitary soldiers and police fire teargas at stone-throwing protesters.Fresh violent clashes between protesters and government forces have left some two dozen people injured in the Indian-administered Kashmir.

On Friday, thousands of people defied a ban on protest marches, taking to the streets of Srinagar, Kashmir's main city and the neighboring district of Budgam as well as other major towns across the Muslim-majority valley.

At least five people have been wounded after police opened fire to disperse the protesters in the northern Baramulla town. Two of them were seriously wounded and therefore were rushed to a hospital in Srinagar.

In addition, 19 more people have been injured as Police fired teargas and used batons to end anti-government protests in several other cities of the region.

The region has been rocked by anti-government demonstrations for months -- despite rolling curfews. Government forces are struggling to contain the ongoing demonstrations in the region.

The region's influential separatist politicians Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik have led thousands in the disputed valley over the past weeks, after the police killed a teenage protester in early June.

They have threatened to continue the protests until India declares Kashmir an "international dispute" and releases all political prisoners.

About 65 Kashmiri protesters have been killed since June.

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