Kashmir Protests Leave 36 Dead after Rebel Leader Killed

Indian police in Kashmir report that no less than 36 protesters and one police officer have been killed since violence between protesters and police forces erupted on Friday. Over 1,300 people have been injured as the streets became a war zone.

Protesters in the disputed Kashmir region, which lies between India and Pakistan, took to the streets following the death of Burhan Wani, a rebel leader whom many have branded a terrorist. Wani was an outspoken leader of Huzbul Mujahideen, a separatist group that seeks independence from India and a potential merger with Pakistan.

The roots of the Kashmir dispute go back centuries, to a time when it was a Muslim holy land, ruled by Muslim kings. Fast forward through a few centuries and several wars, the area fell under British control. When the Brittish abandoned the land in 1947, it fell under disputed control. Now, it is broken into three territories run by Pakistan, India and China. Although the Indian region of Kashmir is lawfully under the control of the Indian government, the opposition claims that India violated the terms of the of the 1948 UN agreement. One of the driving factors of the rebels in the area, is religion. The rebel groups are primarily Muslim who want to see the region return to a Muslim nation. The main religion of India the governing country of the region, is Hinduism.

The protests took place in the village of Kokernag. They erupted in the small village after Jammu & Kashmir Police forces shot three leaders of the Huxbul Mujahideen, Burhan Wani among them. Wani was young, only 22 years of age. He became accepted in the Huxbul Mujahideen in 2011, at the age of 15, and became known for his popularity on social media. It is alleged that one of his recruitment videos was successful in recruiting as many as thirty youths into the organization. Wani became wanted by the Indian government, who in 2015 put a cash bounty on his head.

In response to the violence between police and civilians, the government imposed a curfew and halted Internet service to parts of the region. The latest reports show that over 1,300 people have been injured. Out of the 35 killed so far, one casualty was that of a child, identified as Bashir Ahmad Dar, of the village of Anatnang. Doctors on scene state that he was deceased prior to being brought in. Calls of excessive and unwarranted force are being reported by protesters, however representatives of the Jammu Kashmir Police are saying that officers are using the “utmost restraint.”

Another separatist leader was taken into custody by Jammu & Kashmir police forces. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq violated curfew and attempted to hold a march to honor victims who fell in a 1931 separatist uprising. Farooq had been on house arrest and was taken into custody when he left his property. Mehooba mufti, the Chief Minister of the Jammu and Kashmir province, called for restraint among villagers and also promised that security forces and police who use excessive force will be disciplined, as well. As of now, there is no end in sight to this current clash between police and separatist protesters.

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