SRINAGAR: Streets were deserted yesterday as thousands of police and paramilitary troops patrolled and a curfew in Indian Kashmir entered a sixth day. Two months of angry protests have left at least 42 people dead, most of them killed as soldiers opened fire on Muslim protesters demanding an end to Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region. The violence is the worst to hit Kashmir in more than a decade.
Authorities allowed small breaks in the curfew Thursday to let people buy food, medicines and other essential supplies. After the Friday prayers, the curfew was relaxed briefly in the evening.
India has expressed regret over the “irresponsible” remarks by a UN body about alleged human rights abuse in Kashmir and underlined that New Delhi “did not need any advice to protect the rights of its citizens”.
“We regret that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a statement on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said late Thursday night. “This is uncalled for and irresponsible; India does not need any advice in respect of the protection and promotion of the human rights of its citizens,” he said.
He was referring to a statement by the Geneva-based OHCHR expressing concerns over “recent violent protests in Indian-administered Kashmir that have reportedly led to civilian casualties as well as restrictions to the right to freedom of assembly and expression.”
