Gunfight between security forces and militants in Indian Kashmir

Those slain were local cadres of the region’s indigenous militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and included commander Saddam Paddar, his close aide and newly recruited Mohammad Rafi Bhat, an assistant professor in the sociology department of Kashmir University on contractual basis. His family members, including his mother, wife and brother, were brought from Ganderbal to make an appeal over the loudspeaker to surrender. “Out of the 11 militants in Burhan’s core group, 10 have been killed, while the lone survivor is in jail”, the officer said.

There were angry protests in the university campus on Saturday as students asked the authorities to locate Bhat. He was reportedly martyred by the Indian security personnel at the Badgam area of Shopian, almost 80km from his house. A citizen also died in this encounter.

In Sunday’s violence, protesting villagers made several attempts to reach the site where the rebels were trapped, barraging troops with rocks, bricks and abuse.

Talking to reporters during the protest rally, Sagar condemned the civilian killings in Kashmir, saying that the government has failed to revoke AFSPA from the Jammu and Kashmir due to which the civilian killings are going unabated.

The protesters also set on fire two vehicles of the Fire & Emergency Services in Shopian.

Dr Saleem Tak, superintendent of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital, told Al Jazeera one of the dead civilians suffered a bullet wound to the head. “We can only manage the crisis temporarily”, a senior police official told ET.

Thousands who came out in support of the militants shouted slogans calling for Kashmir’s independence from India and threw stones at heavily-armed Indian forces.

Rafi’s involvement with militancy began sometime late Friday afternoon and ended late on Saturday night, making him an ultra with possibly the shortest active time in militancy in the state. Last year, at least 29 civilians were killed and hundreds wounded during such clashes.

The Kashmir Valley observed a complete shutdown on Monday to condemn the deaths of five protesters in Shopian during clashes with security forces on Sunday. Another three men were martyred in shootings the police blamed on freedom fighters.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has imposed restrictions in parts of the Kashmir valley ahead of a sit-in protest called by separatists. A curfew was ordered in the capital on Sunday and mobile internet services were shut down in much of the Indian-occupied region.

In 2018, till date over 126 people, including 31 civilians, 63 militants, three political workers and 29 police, Army and paramilitary personnel have been killed.