India police say four killed in Kashmir shootout
Tehran (KNA) - A gun battle has reportedly erupted between Indian troops and suspected militants in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing at least four people.
The gunfight broke out in streets near a 14th-century Muslim shrine, named Khanqah-e-Moula, in Srinagar's Old City on Wednesday, a police statement said, adding that three militants and a police officer were killed.
Police said Indian government forces cordoned off the area close to the shrine after they received information about alleged armed militants hiding in a house.
According to witnesses, the gunfire broke out after Indian soldiers knocked at the door of a house and took away a young man.
"We don't know where he is and now we hear (police) say he was a militant," said the young man's brother.
Troops also burned down the house.
The news of the deaths sparked anti-Indian protests in the city, where police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
Since last year, gun battles between government forces and pro-independence fighters seeking an end to the Indian rule in the disputed valley have become more frequent.
Source: PressTV