Kashmiris stage fresh protest rallies amid tensions

The people of Indian-administered Kashmir have held fresh protest rallies amid rising tensions across the disputed Himalayan Valley.

The angry protesters and peace activists took to the streets in Srinagar and several other towns across the Muslim-majority region on Friday.

The demonstrations come after a military court verdict acquitted five Indian army officers involved in the killing of five civilians nearly 14 years ago.

The activists denounced the verdict, chanting slogans such as “Punish the Murderers”.

The local civilians were killed in Pathribal village days after the massacre of 35 Sikhs in the village of Chattisinghpora in May 2000.

The Indian army claims the victims were “foreign militants,” accusing them of being responsible for the massacre.

The angry protesters say the victims were murdered because of their Muslim and Kashmiri identity.

Kashmiri separatists and rights groups have denounced the controversial verdict.

“It is a living example of lawlessness and state terrorism, a slap in the face of the Kashmiri people whose lives have no value for the Indian army,” Well-known separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani said in a statement.

Separatist leaders say the Indian government should hold security forces accountable for human rights violations in Kashmir.

Authorities have deployed large police and paramilitary troops in most parts of the capital of Srinagar to prevent fresh street demonstrations.

The government forces have also responded by imposing curfews and restrictions on the movement of people.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 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.