Tension in Kashmir over five deaths

• It was not immediately obvious what caused the explosion.
• The incidents are being investigated by senior police officers.
• India accuses Pakistan of inciting the turmoil.

After five civilians were killed in two different incidents in the same area in less than 24 hours, tensions are high in some areas of Kashmir that is ruled by India.

After militants opened fire on three residences in Rajouri district on Sunday evening, four people were killed and nine others were injured.

A bomb that occurred on Monday next to the same houses resulted in one child’s death and four injuries.

It was not immediately obvious what caused the explosion.

The incidents are being investigated by senior police officers.

In Rajouri, the incident on Sunday led to protests and strikes as residents held the local government responsible for the security breakdown.

The regional administrator, Manoj Sinha, denounced “the despicable terror attack in Rajouri” and pledged financial support for the victims’ families.

He tweeted on Monday, “I assure the people that those behind this horrible attack will not go unpunished.

India and Pakistan both claim the entire Himalayan territory of Kashmir but only govern a portion of it. Since 1947, when Pakistan was established and India was divided, the nuclear-armed neighbours have engaged in two wars and a minor dispute over Kashmir.

Tens of thousands of people have died during an armed uprising against Indian sovereignty in the area that has lasted more than three decades.

India accuses Pakistan of inciting the turmoil by supporting terrorist separatists in Kashmir, a claim Islamabad vigorously refutes.

Up until August 2019, when the federal government revoked its autonomy and split it into two separate regions, Jammu & Kashmir was the only state in India with a predominantly Muslim population.

The four victims from the Hindu minority population in Kashmir’s Muslim-majority were killed on Sunday.

Hindus in Kashmir have been the target of multiple militant attacks over the past year, which has caused fear within the community.

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