SRINAGAR: An Indian soldier and five top militants were killed in gunbattles in disputed Kashmir, where troops patrolled deserted streets ahead of a planned separatist rally, officials said yesterday.
Among those killed was a senior military commander for banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which India blames for last month’s attacks on Mumbai that killed 170 people, the Indian military said. It identified him as Iqbal Malik, who it said was the LeT military commander for southern Kashmir.
The militants belonged to LeT, said Hemant Lohia, a senior police officer. The police claim could not be independently confirmed.
Soldiers cordoned off Tantana, 290 kilometers southeast of Srinagar early yesterday after receiving a tip-off about suspected rebels.
The military said Malik was killed with two other fighters when they became trapped in a cave during a gunbattle in mountains in Doda district south of Srinagar. The Indian soldier was also killed during the gunbattle at the cave, the spokesman said.
Separately, one suspected insurgent was killed Thursday after government forces converged on his hide-out in nearby Chiralla village, Lohia said.
In Srinagar, shops, businesses and government offices were closed in response to a strike called by separatist groups. Thousands of soldiers in riot gear patrolled the deserted streets of the summer capital of Kashmir state.
Thousands of troops patrolled deserted streets and sealed off residential areas in an attempt to thwart a planned anti-election rally, local officials said. New Delhi says high voter turnouts in the first six stages of the election in mainly rural areas are a vindication of its rule in Kashmir. Srinagar votes in the last phase on Dec. 24.
“The elections have no legitimacy in Kashmir as they are being held in presence of over ten lakh (one million) troops. People have been coerced and lured to vote in the name of development and jobs,” said moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Omar Farooq.
Farooq and hard-line separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani were placed under house arrest yesterday.
Others have been detained since voting began last month. “The troops outnumber the population of Srinagar,” said Farooq.
Top leaders of political parties, including Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, are to address public meetings and rallies in Jammu region over the next two days for the “icing on the cake” of the Kashmir election campaign that ends Monday for the final phase.
The Dec. 24 seventh and final phase will see 13 seats in Jammu region - 11 in Jammu district and two in newly carved out adjoining Samba district - going to the polls. The remaining eight seats, of the 21 where polls are being held, are in the Kashmir valley.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and its prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani will be visiting the state for the first time for electioneering today.
