Militants blamed for Kashmir murders

Suspected Islamic militants fatally shot four people in their sleep in an upsurge of violence also claimed three other lives in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The insurgents entered the house of a Muslim family overnight and shot at those sleepng, police said.

Abdul Rahim’s son, his wife and his 18-month-old grandson were killed instantly. The fourth person killed was a house guest.

Police believe the deaths were revenge killings, as two of Rahim’s sons are policemen. A third son belongs to a rival militant group.

Violence has raged in Jammu-Kashmir despite a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, both of which claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.

The region is divided between the two South Asian nuclear-armed rivals.

More than 65,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the insurgency since 1989. The militants are demanding Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan.