Sat 10 August 2019:
Troops fire in the air as thousands rally in Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city to denounce region’s status change.
Indian security forces have fired tear gas and shot live rounds in the air to disperse mass protests in Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city as thousands rallied against New Delhi’s stripping of the region’s autonomy, according to local sources.
The protests erupted afternoon prayers on Friday, with thousands of people marching towards the centre of Srinagar ignoring a curfew imposed as part of an unprecedented security lockdown in the disputed region, exclusive footage obtained by Al Jazeera showed.
Some demonstrators were carrying black flags and placards saying “We want freedom” and “Abrogation of Article 370 is not acceptable.”
KASHMIR: All the latest updates
India’s Hindu-nationalist government on Monday revoked Article 370 of India’s constitution, limiting the region’s decision-making powers and eliminating its right to its own constitution.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi also downgraded Indian-administered Kashmir from statehood to two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh – ruled directly by New Delhi.
Al Jazeera’s Priyanka Gupta, citing local sources, said the police fired live bullets in the air and used “tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets” to push protesters back
“We understand there have been injuries,” she said, reporting from the Indian capital, New Delhi. Some were wounded from pellet guns, she added.
A police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters news agency that 10,000 people attended the protest. The protesters gathered in Srinagar’s Soura area and were pushed back to the Aiwa bridge, the officer said.
A witness told Reuters “some women and children jumped into the water”, while another said: “They [police] attacked us from both sides.”
India sent some 10,000 additional troops to the Muslim-majority region in the lead-up to its announcement on Monday, imposing a curfew on parts of the territory, shutting down telecommunications and arresting political leaders. Nearly 700,000 Indian soldiers are deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir, where civilian protesters and armed rebels either want independence or a merger with Pakistan.
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