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Kashmir's minister asks for special troops
NEW DELHI, Thousands of people in predominantly Muslim Kashmir defied curfew, torching police cars in the streets and shouting anti-Indian slogans, observers say.
The India-administered province that is claimed by both India and Pakistan has been under a state of siege this summer with dozens of people dying in violent clashes and Indian security forces ordered to shoot on sight attempting to enforce an apparent untenable curfew, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
On Monday, Omar Abdullah, the state's chief minister, rushed to New Delhi asking for reinforcements and more troops to help quell the protests.
He also asked for a specially trained riot control team that reportedly is on the way, government officials said.
The cycle of violence -- protests, rock-throwing youths, government forces firing live ammunition and ultimate death -- shows no sign of lessening, the Times said.
"There is a standoff at this moment," said Prem Shankar Jha, a political analyst who has written about Kashmir for decades. "Curfew is broken, the authority of the state government is gone."
Some residents say children are unable to attend school.
"It has been more than a month -- they haven't been to school, not opened their books, their exams are coming up," Nafeesa Ali, a teacher, said of her two children. "We are not getting proper food to eat. I am cooking whatever vegetables I have grown in my back yard. It won't last for now another three days now. God knows when this circle of violence will end."
NEW DELHI, Thousands of people in predominantly Muslim Kashmir defied curfew, torching police cars in the streets and shouting anti-Indian slogans, observers say.
The India-administered province that is claimed by both India and Pakistan has been under a state of siege this summer with dozens of people dying in violent clashes and Indian security forces ordered to shoot on sight attempting to enforce an apparent untenable curfew, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
On Monday, Omar Abdullah, the state's chief minister, rushed to New Delhi asking for reinforcements and more troops to help quell the protests.
He also asked for a specially trained riot control team that reportedly is on the way, government officials said.
The cycle of violence -- protests, rock-throwing youths, government forces firing live ammunition and ultimate death -- shows no sign of lessening, the Times said.
"There is a standoff at this moment," said Prem Shankar Jha, a political analyst who has written about Kashmir for decades. "Curfew is broken, the authority of the state government is gone."
Some residents say children are unable to attend school.
"It has been more than a month -- they haven't been to school, not opened their books, their exams are coming up," Nafeesa Ali, a teacher, said of her two children. "We are not getting proper food to eat. I am cooking whatever vegetables I have grown in my back yard. It won't last for now another three days now. God knows when this circle of violence will end."