SRINAGAR, India — At least one person was killed and about two dozen others wounded on Saturday as protests against Indian rule were followed by clashes in Indian-controlled Kashmir shortly after Eid prayers, police and residents said.
Meanwhile, the Indian military said a soldier was killed early Saturday after a patrol came under fire from Pakistani soldiers along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides disputed Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
Shouting “Go India, go back” and “We want freedom,” hundreds of people began marching in the southern Anantnag area but were confronted by government forces firing tear gas, leading to clashes with stone-throwing protesters.
The use of force intensified as the protesters barraged police and paramilitary soldiers with a hail of stones while the troops fired shotgun pellets, injuring at least 17 people.
One of the injured died at a hospital. The man suffered pellet injuries in his head and throat.
At least nine other men among the injured were hit by pellets in their eyes, medics said.
However, police said in a statement that a “preliminary investigation” revealed that the young man died when a grenade exploded in his hand, a claim disputed by residents.
Protests and clashes were reported at several places across Kashmir, including the main city of Srinagar, after Eid prayers concluded. At least seven protesters were injured in the southern Shopian area.
Muslim Kashmiris on Saturday were celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and its daytime fasting.
The Indian military said one soldier was killed after Pakistani soldiers fired mortar rounds and guns. The military called it an “unprovoked” violation of the 2003 cease-fire agreement between the rivals.
Pakistan did not immediately comment. In the past, each country has accused the other of initiating border skirmishes and violating the cease-fire agreement.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan territory divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety.
In recent years, the Indian-controlled portion has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule.