3 more die in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Gunmen burst into the home of a former militants in Indian-held Kashmir on Wednesday, killing his brother and wife, while a villager was fatally shot in crossfire during a gun battle between militants and paramilitary soldiers, police said.

The unidentified villager was killed in Dooru, about 60 kilometres north of Srinagar, as militants and soldiers fired at each other, said a police officer.

In the village of Narbal, unidentified gunmen barged into the home of Abdul Majid, a former militant, before dawn and fired indiscriminately, he said. Majid’s brother was killed instantly and Majid’s wife died of bullet injuries later at a hospital, the police officer said.

Also on Wednesday, police wielded batons and fired tear gas at villagers in Galandhar, 30 kilometres north of Srinagar, who were blocking a key highway to protest the disappearance of a young man who had been taken into police custody.

Three villagers were injured. Police refused to comment on the villagers’ allegation of the disappearance, a common one made by Kashmiris and human rights organisations since the freedom struggle began in 1989. ap

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