Villagers: Kashmir Teacher Killed in Indian Army’s Custody

SRINAGAR, India— A young college teacher in Indian-controlled Kashmir was killed while he was in the custody of the Indian army after soldiers took dozens of people from their homes in the tense Himalayan region, residents said Thursday.The villagers...
Villagers: Kashmir Teacher Killed in Indian Army’s Custody
Indian paramilitary trooper stops a Kashmiri pedestrian during a curfew in Srinagar on August 18, 2016. TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images
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SRINAGAR, India—A young college teacher in Indian-controlled Kashmir was killed while he was in the custody of the Indian army after soldiers took dozens of people from their homes in the tense Himalayan region, residents said Thursday.

The villagers said army soldiers and counterinsurgency police officers raided Khrew village late Wednesday and took Shabir Ahmed and around 30 other people into custody.

They handed over Ahmed’s body to his family early Thursday, the villagers said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared reprisals.

A police official confirmed Ahmed’s death but said the troops were responding to anti-India protests in the area.

The police official, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity, said at least 25 people, including Ahmed’s brother, were reported injured.

Army spokesman Col. Nitin N. Joshi said the cause of the death was being investigated.

An Indian paramilitary troopers stands guard during a curfew in Srinagar on August 18, 2016. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
An Indian paramilitary troopers stands guard during a curfew in Srinagar on August 18, 2016. TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images