New Delhi, February 05: New Delhi forces have shot dead a 22-year-old student in Indian-administered Kashmir as violence continues in the disputed Himalayan region.
The Indian army says it killed Manzoor Ahmad Magray after he failed to heed warning signs on Saturday. Relatives say the young man was killed in “cold blood.”
The death comes as anti-Indian sentiments are already running high across the predominantly Muslim valley.
Nearly 3,000 people have attended his funeral ceremony in Kupwara district.
According to reports, thousands of stone-throwing young men have also clashed with Indian security forces in Kashmir’s summer capital of Srinagar and several other major towns.
The developments come at a time when violence continues to wreak havoc in the troubled valley.
Kashmir is one of the world’s most militarized areas and roughly half-a-million Indian forces are stationed across the valley.
The region has been gripped by a string of violent protests since last year, when a teenager was killed by police. More than 110 people have so far been killed in the unrest.
The Kashmir valley has either been under curfew or shut down over the past four months. Residents have been complaining about the shortage of food, medicine and other supplies.
Thousands have been killed in the volatile Indian-administered Kashmir since 1989.
Several regional and international rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on India to take immediate steps to protect and respect human rights in Kashmir.
In a separate development, ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ has been observed on February 5 in neighboring Pakistan.
Pakistan has been observing the solidarity day since 1990, as a day of protest against Indian rule over part of Kashmir.
Both Islamabad and New Delhi claim the region in full, but rule over parts of it and have fought two wars over Kashmir.
New Delhi has been repeatedly criticized for resorting to force rather than finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
—-Agencies