Killing of four civilians in Indian Kashmir triggers massive protests
July 21, 2013
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Protesters clashed with government troops in several parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir for the second straight day Saturday, defying a curfew imposed to restrain public anger over the killing of four villagers in the disputed region.
Police officials, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said that the protesters threw rocks, and that police and paramilitary forces used batons and tear gas and fired warning shots of live ammunition to control the crowds. Five protesters and 2 police officers were injured in the clashes.
At least 50 people were injured in similar clashes Friday.
The unrest follows the fatal shootings by government troops Thursday of four villagers who were protesting the alleged desecration of the Muslim holy book by border guards in a remote village in the region.
The protesters accuse the Indian Border Security Force of tearing pages of several copies of the Quran and beating a school caretaker at a religious seminary during a search for militants Wednesday night.
The paramilitary force has denied the charges.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, with both countries claiming the region in its entirety.
Anti-India feelings run deep in Indian-held Kashmir, where about a dozen rebel groups have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
The rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian troops in recent years, and resistance is now principally expressed through street protests.
Pair found guilty of murdering Lankan man
 MONDAY, 22 JULY 2013
Two men accused of murdering a Sri Lankan dairy farm worker in Canterbury in New Zealand in February this year have been found guilty.
The High Court trial of Thuvan Prawesh Sawal and Viraj Alahakoon in Christchurch has lasted five weeks. Sawal and Alahakoon both denied murdering 28-year-old Sameera Battelage then burning his house down to disguise the crime. During the trial, the jury of seven women and five men was told Mr Battelage was stabbed and cut six times in the neck before his body was doused in petrol and set alight on 23 February. Crown prosecutor Brent Stanaway said the murder was prompted because Mr Battelage was having an affair with a woman connected with one of the men. The details of their relationship were suppressed. Sawal and Alahakoon have been remanded in custody until 6 September for sentencing. The jury of seven women and five men at the High Court in Christchurch began deliberating on Monday morning and returned with their verdict in the afternoon.) |
