SRINAGAR – At least 17 Kashmiri youth were martyred after Indian troops conducted cordon and search operations in occupied Kashmir’s Islamabad and Shopian districts, according to the Kashmir Media Service.
Moreover, around 100 civilians were injured when Indian forces used brute force and fired pellets and bullets on protesters in Dragad and Kachdora areas.
Two civilians, Jan Mohammad Lone and Zubair Ahmad Butt, died in a hospital due to their injuries. A young man, identified as Rouf Bashir Khanday, was also killed by Indian forces during an overnight operation in Islamabad district’s Dialgam area.
8 innocent Kashmiris brutally gunned down in shopian and dialgam, in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today by Indian forces – Continuing Indian massacre of innocent Kashmiris makes a mockery of the HR Charter #kashmirbleeds #inhumanindia
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@DrMFaisal) April 1, 2018
Other young martyrs include Ubair Shafi Malla, Adil Thokar, Yawar Itoo, Nazim Nazir, Adil Thokar, Rais Thokar, Ishafaq Malik and Zubair Turay.
Security forces also clashed with stone-throwing youths in Dragad, Sugan and some other cities in Srinagar. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting and funding the armed groups in Kashmir, claims that Islamabad denies.
The Indian media reports that the fighting began on late Saturday and ended in Anantnag’s Peth Dialgam area on Sunday morning. However, fighting in Dragad and Kachdoora still continued.
Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has called for a shutdown for two days across Indian occupied Kashmir.
Syed Ali Gilani, Muhammad Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq are part of JRL.
In a similar vein, students from Kashmir University (KU) demonstrated against the killings and shouted anti-India slogans.
‘End Occupation, Free Kashmir’ read the banners carried by the students.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman, in a tweet, condemned the Indian brutalities in the occupied state, saying “continuing Indian massacre of innocent Kashmiris makes a mockery of the HR Charter”.
