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Protests in Srinagar over alleged rape of Muslim women
Kashmiri Muslim mourners shout slogans in protest after the death of two women in Shopian, some 52kms south of Srinagar. —AFP SRINAGAR: The main city in Indian Administered Kashmir was shut down on Monday by a general strike held in protest over the alleged rape and murder of two young Muslim women by security forces. Police said they are investigating the ‘mysterious deaths’ of the women, aged 17 and 22, whose bodies were found dumped in a shallow stream on Saturday. Their families said the corpses bore marks of violence and that their clothes were torn. They have accused security forces of abducting, raping and subsequently killing them. A one-day strike to mourn and protest the deaths, with shops, schools, banks and post offices in Srinagar and other towns all closed, police said. Police and soldiers were out in force to prevent more violent protests. Over 70 people were wounded in weekend clashes between police and angry protesters in Shopian, situated 50 kilometres south of Srinagar, where the women were from, as well as in Srinagar itself. ‘There is a huge security presence in our locality. It is like curfew. We are not being allowed to move out,’ said Srinagar resident Altaf Ahmed. ‘We urge international human rights groups to take strict note of atrocities taking place against women in Kashmir,’ Lashkar spokesman Abdullah Gaznavi told AFP from an undisclosed location. ‘Today we make a fresh vow to continue our struggle against Indian occupation,’ the spokesman said. Indian security forces battling militancy in Kashmir have frequently been accused of committing human rights violations in the scenic Himalayan region. DAWN: Monday, 01 June,2009 |
