Civilian shot dead in Kashmir as India’s home minister visits

Authorities said the teenager was caught in the crossfire between rebels and security forces, but his family called it ‘cold-blooded murder’.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – A 19-year-old civilian has been shot dead in Indian-administered Kashmir in what his family called “cold-blooded murder” by Indian forces.

Authorities said the teenager was on Sunday caught up in “cross-firing”, a term used by police to describe a gun battle between Indian forces and rebels, in Shopian in south Kashmir.

I got a call then that he was killed by the paramilitary forces near the camp for no reason when he was just walking,” Zubair said.

“They might frame him in some militancy case now to justify not giving us the body,” Zubair said, referring to a new rule by the government in Kashmir, which buries killed rebels in far away graveyards and does not allow their families to have a public funeral.

The police said in a statement “unidentified terrorists attacked” a security detail at Babapora village in Shopian.

The police said they are investigating the incident further.

The latest incident has taken the total number of killings this month to 39, which includes 17 rebels, 12 civilians, and 10 Indian soldiers