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Muslims protest after IHK shrine deal

* One killed, 15 injured as forces, protesters clash in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: Hindus in Indian-held Kashmir on Sunday suspended two month of protest after the government agreed to temporarily provide land to a Hindu trust, while one person was killed when security forces fired on Muslims protesting against the decision.

Authorities re-imposed a curfew in many areas of Kashmir after briefly relaxing it earlier in the day, as protesters clashed with police in the summer capital Srinagar.

According to the BBC, the decision to allow the land to be used for the Hindu pilgrimage was made in a meeting between a government panel and the Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Smeeti on Sunday.

Under the new deal, 40 hectares of land will be available to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board every year but only during the pilgrimage.

“The shrine board will now exclusively use the land during the pilgrimage period,” said Leela Karan Sharma, the head of a Hindu group that was leading the protests in Hindu-dominated Jammu.

Protests: Agitated Muslims staged huge protests as soon as the news of the deal was made public. Indian paramilitary troops and police used firing, tear gas and baton-charge to disperse the protesters, which resulted in the death of one person and injured 15 in the outskirts of Srinagar.

The protesters argued the land transfer was being done to change the demographics in the valley but India says it has never encouraged Hindus to settle in the region.

Dr Saleem Iqbal of Mahraja Hari Singh Hospital confirmed the death and said three of the injured were in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, authorities have imposed a strict curfew in Jammu, saying that hardliner groups, who have threatened to kill a leader of the Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Smeeti, were spotted in the area.

Kashmiri separatists have rejected the latest deal. “We reject this deal. But it is not a major issue for us as we are pre-occupied with our freedom struggle,” a statement quoted senior separatist Masarat Alam as saying. daily times monitor/afp

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