Pro-independence groups in Kashmir call for strike

Pro-independence groups in the Indian-controlled Kashmir have called for a general strike to protest the recent killing of a teenage boy by Indian forces, Press TV reports.

On Sunday, the groups called for the strike to show their outrage at the killing of Farhat Ahmad Dar by Indian forces in the village of Naidkhai, north of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir.

The teenager was killed and two others were wounded when Indian forces opened fire on anti-India protesters after Friday prayers.

On Saturday, Kashmiri mourners took to the streets and buried Ahmad Dar. During the funeral, the mourners chanted anti-India slogans such as “Down with India!” and “We want freedom.”

Local authorities say they have ordered a magisterial probe into Ahmad Dar’s death, but people of the region say they have no hopes, because probes ordered in the past have yielded no results.

“Probes have become just a mere attempt to silence people and protests which take place at atrocities committed by the security forces. Probes are ordered to placate the people that something is being done but nothing gets done,” said Gautam Navlakha, a human rights activist.

Navlakha said the security forces are not punished mainly due to the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act that gives unbridled power to army personnel in the region.

The act gives legal immunity to Indian forces in Kashmir and forbids their prosecution without the sanction from the Indian government.

Meanwhile, tensions remained high in the grief-stricken area on Sunday. Parts of Kashmir remained forcibly locked down and security forces patrolled the streets of the troubled region.

Authorities said they adopted the measures to ensure that no further law and order disturbance takes place.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 66 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it.

The neighbors agreed on a ceasefire in 2003 and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the ceasefire.

Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir over the past 20 years.