Soldiers shoot man dead in Kashmir, sparking anti-India clashes

Indian police said the Kashmiri man did not stop at two checkpoints, and was shot by soldiers expecting a military convoy to arrive

His death triggered outrage in his village, with hundreds chanting, ‘Go India, go back’, and demanding the victim’s body be returned for burial

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Kashmiri villagers run for cover as policemen chase after firing tear gas during a protest on May 13, 2020. Photo: AP

Published: 9:15pm, 13 May 2020Updated: 9:15pm, 13 May 2020

Indian soldiers shot dead a young man at a checkpoint in the Himalayan region of Kashmir on Wednesday, residents and officials said, triggering anti-India protests and clashes in the disputed region.

India’s Central Reserve Police Force said the man was driving a car and ignored signals to stop at two checkpoints in the western outskirts of Srinagar, the region’s main city. It said the soldiers feared sabotage because a military convoy was passing by at the time.

It said in a statement that a soldier shot the victim “when the car didn’t stop despite warning shots”.

The victim’s father, Ghulam Nabi Shah, denied the police account, saying his son did not drive through any checkpoints, and that soldiers first stopped him and then shot him.

A witness, Firdousa, said the victim stopped his car when soldiers signalled him.

“A security official told him something to which he replied that he had some emergency. They let him go but as he was getting into his vehicle, they shot him in the back,” she said. “He was killed deliberately. He did no wrong.”