SRINAGAR: Three Kashmiris were martyred and more than a dozen were injured on Sunday when police clashed with protesters during a by-election in Srinagar in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
According to media reports, the joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yaseen Malik had called for a boycott of the by-polls and a complete shutdown in the region, resulting in heightened security and low voter turnout when the polling began.
In Budgam district, Indian forces used tear gas to dispel stone-pelting protesters, and later resorted to firing that killed three Kashmiris, police informed media.
The official added that more than a dozen people were injured during the clashes across central Kashmir on Sunday.
The by-election in Srinagar is being held to fill a vacant seat in the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament. A second by-poll in the state for a separate Lok Sabha seat is set to take place on April 12 in Anantnag. The results of both polls are set to be announced on April 15.
