Indian paramilitary troops stand guard behind barbed wire at a road block during a curfew in Srinagar (file photo)
At least three people have been killed and several others injured in a fierce exchange of fire between a group of armed men and New Delhi’s paramilitary troops in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The fierce fighting happened in south of Srinagar on Monday when Indian troops launched an operation after being informed that fighters belonging to separatist groups were in the area.
At least two fighters and Indian soldiers were killed during the deadly shooting in the disputed Himalayan Valley.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri separatist groups have held a complete shutdown strike in response to the killing of two youth by the Indian army in the Muslim-majority region.
Two young persons were shot dead by Indian forces in the Bandipora District of the violence-wracked Kashmir Valley on Sunday. The killings triggered huge protests and angry demonstrators chanted slogans against the Indian army.
Authorities have also deployed large police and paramilitary troops in most parts of the capital, Srinagar, to prevent fresh street demonstrations.
Separatist leaders say the Indian government should hold the security forces accountable for human rights violations in Kashmir.
In recent years violence in Kashmir has abated from its peak in the 1990s, but the causes of the insurgency are still far from resolved.
The government forces have responded by imposing curfews and restrictions on the movement of people.
Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it.
Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir over the past 20 years.
JR/SS
Republished with permission from:: Press TV