Source: Al Jazeera<\/p>\n
Dozens of protesters who came out in support of the rebels are wounded in clashes with Indian security forces.<\/em><\/p>\n Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir\u00a0<\/strong>–\u00a0Four civilians and an Indian soldier were killed in a gun battle in southern Kashmir, sparking mass protests across the region in which dozens were wounded during clashes with security forces.<\/p>\n Inspector General of Police Swayam Prakash Pani told Al Jazeera on Wednesday the civilians were killed in the crossfire after soldiers confronted the rebels.<\/p>\n “One army soldier has been killed and two are critical,” he said.<\/p>\n The gunfight started in Khudwani village of Kulgam district at\u00a0midnight on Tuesday, Pani said.<\/p>\n In the first such incident in recent years, the rebels managed to get away despite the heavy presence of security forces.<\/p>\n The state’s police chief, Shesh Paul Vaid, told Al Jazeera the rebels apparently didn’t suffer any casualties.<\/p>\n “When the forces withdrew from the site, no bodies were found and it seems they managed to escape,” Vaid said.<\/p>\n After news spread of rebels being pinned down in a house, hundreds of residents marched towards the clash to help the fighters escape, which triggered violence between civilians and Indian security forces.<\/p>\n “I have never seen such scenes in my life. It looked like destruction all around,” Mohammad Younis, a Kulgam resident, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n “There was [tear gas] shelling everywhere and everyone was protesting on the roads. There were men, women, children – almost everyone,” he said.<\/p>\n Dr Fazil Kochak, chief medical officer of Anantnag district, told Al Jazeera dozens of civilians were wounded\u00a0“We have received around 60 injured people in the different hospitals of south Kashmir today.”<\/p>\n Dr Zahoor Ahmad at a nearby hospital said wounded were still arriving.<\/p>\n “Most of them had bullet or pellet wounds. One young man was brought dead to the hospital,” Ahmad said. “One of them was critical who was hit with a shell on his head and had suffered a skull fracture.”<\/p>\n The government ordered the closure of schools in southern Kashmir as hundreds of students held protests.<\/p>\n Separatist leaders in the region called for a complete shutdown in the region\u00a0on Thursday to protest the killings.<\/p>\n Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads a faction of the All Parties’ Hurriyat Conference, tweeted “houses and shops are being blown up by explosives”.<\/p>\n “Appeal UN and the international community to step in as the situation is dire,” he said.<\/p>\n Al Jazeera couldn’t independently confirm Farooq’s comments.<\/p>\n Kashmir is one of the most militarised regions in the world with thousands of Indian soldiers and paramilitary personnel engaged in a fight against armed rebels.<\/p>\n Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the decades-old conflict.<\/p>\n The latest firefight comes amid multiple counter-insurgency operations in southern Kashmir, which have ended in violence and the killing of civilians.<\/p>\n Kulgam is adjacent to Shopian district where 13 rebels, four civilians, and three soldiers were\u00a0killed on April 1\u00a0–\u00a0one of the bloodiest days of the conflict in recent years.<\/p>\n The intensity of civilian support for rebels has increased in recent months.\u00a0Residents have tried to help trapped fighters by pelting\u00a0Indian security forces\u00a0with rocks and stones.<\/p>\n Anti-India sentiment runs deep among Kashmir’s mostly Muslim population after decades of Indian rule.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nProtesters gather in support<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Shutdown<\/strong><\/h2>\n