Srinagar (India) (AFP)
The situation is still very tense in Indian Kashmir before a meeting Trump-Modi planned on the sidelines of the G7: an angry mob killed the driver of a truck taken for a military vehicle, said Monday the police.
This deadly incident occurred on Sunday, when the Himalayan territory enters its fourth week of closure after the revocation in early August by New Delhi of its autonomy status.
Monday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, US President Donald Trump should urge Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift the blockage of telecommunications in the disputed region.
India revoked on August 5 the autonomy status of the part of Kashmir it controls, causing demonstrations. Jammu and Kashmir (the name given to this area by New Delhi) is populated mostly by Muslims and claimed by Pakistan.
Since early August, a blockage of telephone communications, internet, and heavy traffic restrictions have been imposed by the Indian government.
But that did not prevent clashes between residents and security forces.
On Sunday in Anantnag district, angry protesters threw stones at a truck they mistook for a military vehicle.
The 42-year-old driver was shot in the head and died, the police said.
Two men were arrested after the incident, the Indian news agency PTI reported.
- "Brutality" -
According to the Indian authorities, no civilian has died in police operations since 5 August.
But residents say three people have died, including a young mother, suffocated after the police sent a tear gas grenade into her home.
Many sources in hospitals told AFP that at least 100 people were injured, including some with firearms.
India accuses Pakistan of secretly backing armed groups in Jammu and Kashmir. The two countries have quarreled with Kashmir since their partition in 1947, at the end of British colonization.
Authorities say they are gradually lifting the restrictions. But a delegation wishing to inquire about the situation and led by opposition figure Rahul Gandhi was turned back on arrival Saturday at Srinagar airport - the largest city in the state.
"It has been 20 days since the people of Jammu and Kashmir have their freedom and civil liberties hampered," he said on Twitter.
"When we tried to visit Srinagar, the opposition leaders and the press were able to get a glimpse of the drastic administration and brutality directed against the population," he added.
The regional police chief, Dilbagh Singh, justified the return of Mr. Gandhi by the desire to avoid any "controversial statement" when the situation "returns to normal".
- Foreign interference -
The governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, defended Sunday the current restrictions, ensuring that they aim to maintain peace in the area.
"There has not been a single case of murder in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 10 days, if the telecom blockage saves a human life, then where is the harm?", He said. said, according to Indian media.
According to the local press, the United States would be concerned about the situation and Donald Trump should call Monday Narendra Modi to relieve the pressure on the region.
The US president "will probably emphasize the need for dialogue between all parties" and urge India to "show the utmost restraint," said the English-language Indian Express, citing a senior US official.
In return, Donald Trump will call on Pakistan to "prevent the infiltration of militants" in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, according to the same source.
Monday's Trump-Modi interview could be complicated though: India has repeatedly pointed out that Kashmir is an internal affair and rejected foreign interference.
© 2019 AFP