Thousands protest Kashmir shooting incident

More than 2,000 people protested in Kashmir's main city today against the death of a man during a gunbattle in the troubled region…

More than 2,000 people protested in Kashmir's main city today against the death of a man during a gunbattle in the troubled region.

"Down with security forces, we want freedom," the protesters shouted as they carried the man's body in a truck.

Police fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse the protesters.

A paramilitary spokesman said 35-year-old Ghulam Nabi, an auto-rickshaw driver, was caught in crossfire during a battle on Sunday between militants and Border Security Force troops.

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The bullet-riddled body of Sartaj Ahmad, a shopkeeper, was later recovered from his shop near the site of the gunbattle, a police official said.

Earlier, a BSF spokesman said two people, including a militant from the outlawed Pakistan-based rebel group Jaish-e-Mohammad, were killed in the Srinagar shootout.

The protest comes days after at least 10 people were wounded when police used tear gas to disperse protesters demonstrating in Srinagar against alleged human rights violations in the region.

Indian authorities deny rights violations by its security forces and say they investigate all reports and punish those found guilty.

Ten people, including seven Muslim rebels, were killed in separate shootouts across the strife-torn region in past 24 hours, a police spokesman said.

Separatist violence has continued unabated in Kashmir despite a truce between India and Pakistan along a military control line that divides the mountainous region between the neighbours.

The ceasefire has held so far since it began nearly three weeks ago but rebel groups, fighting since 1989 against Indian rule in Kashmir, have said they would not observe the truce, which is aimed at building on improved relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

The revolt has claimed at least 40,000 lives but separatists put the toll at more than 80,000.

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