A YOUNG man was killed on Friday (April 15) in Kashmir when soldiers fired on protesters, taking the death toll to five in clashes that have continued for the fourth consecutive day, officials said.
"The 19-year-old was brought to the hospital with bullet injuries but he could not be saved," a doctor at a local hospital told reporters, declining to be named.
A police officer speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the death, saying three other protesters with bullet wounds were sent to a hospital in the main city of Srinagar.
The latest clashes happened in Natnusa village, some 70 kilometres northwest of Srinagar.
On Tuesday (April 12), angry residents in the northern town of Handwara stormed an army bunker after a soldier was accused of molesting a local girl. Soldiers fired into the crowd, leaving three people dead, while a protester was killed in Wednesday (April 13) as angry residents clashed with police.
The incidents have heightened tensions in the disputed region, where many resent the huge presence of Indian troops and regularly accuse soldiers of rights abuses.
On Friday authorities continued a curfew in parts of the territory, including Srinagar, for a third day as separatists opposed to Indian rule in Kashmir called for protests over the killings.
Mobile internet service also remained suspended.
Kashmir's chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti has warned officials over harming civilians while maintaining order following the deaths.
The Indian army, police and the local government have initiated three separate inquirers into Tuesday's shootings, promising punishment if any soldier were found guilty.
But an emergency military law grants soldiers deployed in Kashmir immunity from prosecution in civilian courts unless specifically permitted by New Delhi.
