Alwaght- Thousands of people in Indian-controlled Kashmir defied a curfew imposed across the region on the first day of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan to attend the funeral of a top rebel commander killed by security forces.
Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, a senior leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen group, was killed on Saturday in a gun battle with Indian troops in his hometown of Tral.
The curfew followed the killing of Bhat that triggered widespread violence on Saturday, leaving one civilian dead and dozens of others wounded.
Government forces in riot gear set up barricades in the main city, Srinagar, and other towns in southern Kashmir to prevent people from reaching Bhat’s funeral in Tral.
Authorities also shut down internet and mobile services on Saturday just hours after a month-long ban on 22 social media sites like Facebook and Twitter ended.
The lockdown in the mainly Muslim region crippled life across most of Kashmir.
Srinagar's central mosque remained shut and devotees were barred from offering prayers on the first day of the Ramadan fasting period.
Last year, Bhat had been chosen as the pro-independence force’s top commander after former commander Burhan Wani was killed, triggering months of anti-India protests which left scores of people dead.
The file photo purportedly shows Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, a top commander of the pro-independence Hizb-ul-Mujahideen group.
Anti-India sentiments are high in Kashmir. The region has been divided between India and Pakistan but is claimed in full by both since 1947, when the two partitioned and gained independence from Britain.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir.
India has deployed about 500,000 soldiers in its portion of the disputed region, where various pro-independence groups have for decades been fighting for either independence or a merger with Pakistan.
