Indian tourist killed by stone throwing protesters in Kashmir

Mother and another family member also injured in attack

Kashmiri Muslim protesters prepare to throw stones at Indian police and paramilitary men during clashes in downtown area of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir (EPA/FAROOQ KHAN)

An Indian tourist has been killed by stone-throwing protesters in Kashmir.

The tourist, from Tamil Nadu state in India, was travelling back from a tourist resort near western Narbal village when protesters pelted stones at the minibus he was travelling in, police said.

The 22-year-old was taken to a hospital in the region’s main city, Srinagar, but succumbed to his injuries.

His mother and another family member were also wounded, the Times of India reports.

Around six vehicles were attacked by the stone-throwers, who were protesting against the killing of five militants on Sunday, the paper added.

People are seen through a bullet hole in a window of a damaged house after a gun battle between suspected militants and Indian security forces at Turkewangam village in Kashmir’s Shopian district (Reuters)

Both separatists challenging India’s sovereignty over Kashmir and pro-India Kashmiri politicians condemned the attack.

The region’s top elected official, Mehbooba Mufti, called the tourist’s death “sad and heartbreaking.”

A top separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said in a tweet he was “deeply saddened.”

A local teenager has also been injured in the attacks, the BBC reports.

Kashmiri Muslims grieve as they watch the funeral procession of a local rebel Fayaz Ahmad Hamal, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir (AP)

Last week, five civilians were killed and more than 50 wounded when Indian troops opened fire on hundreds of protesters who pelted them with stones.

On Sunday, five militants were killed in a gun battle police said lasted several hours.

Among them was Saddam Padder, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, and Mohammad Rafi Bhat, a Kashmiri professor with alleged ties to militant groups, the director general of police in Kashmir, SP Vaid, said.

India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.

Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Indian-controlled Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country.

In recent years, Kashmir has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule as a new generation of Kashmiri rebels has revived the militancy and challenged New Delhi’s rule with guns and the effective use of social media.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Most Kashmiris support the rebel cause, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control, marked by youths hurling stones at government forces.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

Additional reporting by Associated Press