India marks Independence Day amid tight security in disputed Kashmir

Indians fly kites from the roofs of their houses near the Jama Mosque, background as Indian flags are hoisted on Independence Day in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013. People in New Delhi traditionally fly kites on this day as they mark the anniversary of independence from British colonial rule in 1947. (Photo : AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)

The local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir Thursday held Indian Independence Day functions amid tight security arrangements and complete shutdown called by separatists, officials said. The main function was held at the Bhakshi stadium in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The region’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hoisted the Indian national flag and took salute by contingents of police, paramilitary troopers and cadets, who marched past the podium. The function was attended by top civil and police officials including regional Police Chief Ashok Prasad.

The authorities had imposed three-tier security set up around the Bhakshi stadium and deployed sharp shooters on rooftops of houses around the venue. Hundreds of policemen and paramilitary Central reserve Police Force personnel were deployed in the city to ward off any possible militant attack.

“The function passed off smoothly,” said a senior police officer in Srinagar. “We had taken all security measures to ensure incident free function.” Abdullah in his address on the day chose to target Indian leaders for their “duplicity” regarding their approach towards Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“It is most unfortunate on the part of these leaders to discriminate Jammu and Kashmir (Indian-controlled Kashmir) vis-a- vis other states and show biased approach while dealing with similar matters differently in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country (India),” Abdullah said in reference to the recent communal violence in Kishtwar district.

Communal clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups broke out last week on the eve of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. The violent clashes claimed three lives, besides injuring 30 others and causing damage to property.

From Kishtwar the trouble began to spread in other districts, following which curfew was imposed in eight districts of Jammu division. The local government sought help from the Indian army, who staged a flag march to stop the spreading of violence.

Border Security Force (BSF) personnel takes part in a parade during the celebration of India's Independence Day at Bikaner in Rajasthan, India, Aug. 15, 2013. India celebrated its 67th anniversary of independence from Britain on Aug. 15. (Photo : Xinhua/Stringer)

Without naming the right-wing Hindu nationalist from the Bhartiya Janta Party, Abdullah accused them of having biased approach towards Indian-controlled Kashmir and treating it a separate identity. He also gave figures about the communal clashes in India states and questioned the silence of these leaders.

“Kishtwar like clashes between two groups of Hindu and Muslims claimed 34 lives in Uttar Pradesh, 13 in Maharashtra, 15 in Madhya Pradesh, three in Karnataka, six in Rajasthan, five in Gujarat in 2012 and again eight in Maharashtra, one in Madhya Pradesh, two in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat in 2013 besides some more deaths in Bihar recently,” said Abdullah.

“Why these national leaders didn’t show any concern over these incidents, nor initiated debates in the Parliament and on TV channels, tried to rush to the spots, tweeted on Twitter, wrote columns in newspapers and created hype.”

Srinagar city and other major towns observed a complete shutdown of shops and business establishments in response to a strike call given by separatist groups. Traffic was also off the roads.

Aug. 15 is an official holiday in region. Since 1989, every year on Aug. 15 – the Indian Independence Day, a shutdown is being observed in the region against New Delhi’s rule.

Separatists are demanding an end to New Delhi’s rule in the region. Indian troops stationed in the region are engaged in a guerrilla war with militants. Security apparatus was alerted a day ahead of the 67th Indian Independence Day across the region.

Mobile services across the region were snapped early Thursday until afternoon as service providers switched off the facility following instructions from security agencies. Officials say cell phones were used in the past by militants to trigger remote controlled explosive devices in the region.

Mobile Internet service across the region was suspended last week in the wake of the communal clashes. <Xinhua/NEWSis>