Asrar Mushtaq Dar went missing last week. His body was found near a graveyard in Srinagar on Wednesday. His throat was reportedly slit.

As the news of Dar’s death spread across the city, groups of angry young men took to the streets. They burnt tyres, threw stones at police, set fire to a van and blocked traffic, disrupting normal life.

Police fired into the air, but also used batons and tear-gas to control the situation. A curfew was imposed on the area of Maisuma, where Dar had lived.

Local residents alleged that the young man was picked up by local police few days ago. They say he died in police custody.

Police denies allegations

But Srinagar police denied these allegations. They said the man was killed by criminals and insisted an investigation was underway.

Local politicians and separatist leaders condemned the death on Wednesday and called for an independent investigation.

Mohammad Shafi Reshi, from the hard-line separatist group Hurriyat (Gilani), said he was not considering this incident in isolation. “It is a planned conspiracy against the people of Jammu and Kashmir -- whether you look at the cases in Shopian, Sopore or Baramulla. The security forces are involved in all these cases. They are detaining our youths and conducting extra judicial killings.”

Wave of anti-India protests

There has been a wave of protests in Indian-administered Kashmir since the deaths of two young women last month. They were raped and murdered in the southern town of Shopian. Local residents blame members of the Indian paramilitary forces for the killings.

Last week, a woman in the northern town of Baramulla claimed she had been harassed at a police station. This incident sparked violent protests and clashes with the police, which left four people dead.

Jatendra Bakshi, an activist who works with Kashmiri refugees in Jammu, explains: “Local people are very much worried that the security forces -- whether local or from outside Kashmir -- are getting beyond control and are harassing people unnecessarily.”

Authorities deny accusations of human rights abuse

The Indian government has denied all claims that human rights are systematically violated in Kashmir. In the wake of the Baramulla protests, the authorities withdrew paramilitary troops from the town.

An official investigation into the Shopian case is underway. The authorities have said that those responsible will be punished. They have also suspended four police officers and a health official who were found guilty of destroying evidence.

But so far they have not disclosed any details of whether their inquiry has produced any concrete results, whether they have any information about the perpetrators and how long the investigation will go on.

Author: Disha Uppal
Editor: Anne Thomas