Killing of Militant by Indian Forces Sets Off Protests in Kashmir
By SAMEER YASIR and ELLEN BARRYMAY 27, 2017
TRAL, Kashmir — Protests erupted across southern Kashmir on Saturday after Indian forces killed
a militant who led an insurgent network and commanded a loyal following among local youths.
In an interview last year, Shridhar Patil, who commands the regional police in the Kulgam district, said the militants were "adored" by young Kashmiris in search
of a "good role model." Early in his tenure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India made overtures to Pakistan, stirring hopes for negotiations on Kashmir.
"This is the end of his life as he chose it." He added, "He died for it, and I have no regret." Mr. Wani’s killing last year set off months of violence between the police and young people in Kashmir, including protests
that swelled into the tens of thousands, bombings, shootouts and nightly attacks by stone-throwing demonstrators.
Early on Saturday, after Indian troops had surrounded the two-story house where the militant, Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, was hiding, several hundred villagers charged the site, apparently hoping
that Mr. Bhat would escape amid the confusion, but they were repelled by tear gas and sprays of birdshot, witnesses said.
His father, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, said he had no hope of dissuading his son
and his friends, who he said were "fighting the state because they believe in it, and want India to get out of Kashmir." "He was a not a child I could have kept inside the house," Mr. Bhat said.
