Violence spikes in Kashmir after videos inflame tension
| SRINAGAR, INDIA/NEW DELHI- Mon Apr 17, 2017
Militants have stepped up attacks in contested Indian-ruled Kashmir, including raids on the homes of police officers, amid a spike in violence after the army allegedly tied a man to the front of a jeep as a human shield.
Police have filed a case against an army unit after soldiers in the Himalayan region were accused of seizing a 24-year old shawl weaver on April 9, before strapping him to the front of their vehicle and parading him through villages.
A video of the episode widely circulated on social media exemplifies for many viewers the human rights abuses allegedly committed by Indian security forces battling to contain a separatist insurgency now in its 28th year.
A Kashmiri student throws back a tear-gas canister fired by Indian police during a protest in Srinagar April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Ismail---A Kashmiri student throws a piece of stone during a protest in Srinagar April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
An Indian policeman throws a tear-gas canister during a protest in Srinagar April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Ismail---A masked Kashmiri demonstrator smokes a cigarette during a protest against the recent killing of a civilian, in Srinagar April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Rajesh Kalia said the video's authenticity was being ascertained, adding, "Action will be taken against those found guilty of misconduct."
Police fired tear gas on Monday to scatter students in the region's main city of Srinagar, the latest outbreak of protests since demonstrations last week after a botched by-election in which at least eight people were killed.
Some colleges were forced to close.
Over the weekend two more videos circulated on social media showing workers of the ruling political party in Jammu and Kashmir renouncing mainstream politics, one of them beside a man wielding a gun.