SRINAGAR, Feb 11 (2008) – Police in Indian Kashmir detained dozens of demonstrators on Monday who were demanding the remains of a separatist leader hanged and buried in an Indian jail over two decades ago, police said.
Shops and businesses were shut in Srinagar, Kashmir’s summer capital, to mark the 24th anniversary of the hanging of Maqbool Bhat, the founder of the separatist group, the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).
“The martyr Maqbool Bhat is a symbol of our nation who preferred death over surrender before the oppressor,” JKLF said in a statement in Urdu.
Bhat was hanged in 1984 for killing an Indian intelligence officer. His body was buried at Tihar Prison in New Delhi.
Five years later, a simmering discontent against Indian rule turned into a full-blown rebellion. Authorities say more than 42,000 people have been killed since.
On Monday, dozens of protesters carried pictures of Bhat and marched through the deserted streets of Srinagar. Some protesters near the JKLF headquarters threw stones at police, who fired tear gas in response.
The JKLF, which declared a ceasefire against Indian security forces in 1994, is campaigning for complete independence for Kashmir from both India and Pakistan.
Officials say violence has declined since the two countries launched a peace process in 2004. Both claim the disputed region in full but rule in parts. But people are still killed in almost daily fighting between militants and soldiers.
Six militants were killed in separate gun battles with soldiers and policemen in the last 24 hours, police said.
