Kashmir's 14-year death toll rises to 66,000

Police in Jammu-Kashmir today said that 1,716 civilians, members of security forces and militants had died there in fighting in the first 10 months of this year – 13% fewer than in 2003.

The number of civilian deaths dropped 46%.

The new figures raised the estimated death toll in 14 years of insurgency and counterattacks to at least 66,000, most of them Muslim civilians. About a dozen militant groups have been fighting since December 1989 to merge the Indian-controlled part of the Indian region with neighbouring Pakistan, or win its independence.

India and Pakistan fought have two wars since 1947 over their conflicting claims to the former princely state of Jammu-Kashmir, which is now divided between them. Pakistan says it supports the militants’ cause, but denies India’s charges that it funds, arms and trains the guerrillas.

While this year’s death toll was lower, some statistics had jumped. Police said there were 200 incidents where grenades were hurled at people, the highest number of that sort of attack in years.

Ashok Bhan, the state’s additional director-general of police, said the rebels were using “new tactics to minimise their losses by attacking soft targets” and using “hands-off” techniques like throwing grenades and detonating remote-controlled bombs.

From January to October this year, 600 civilians had been killed, 260 security force personnel and 856 militants, the officer said.

Last year during the same period, 1,125 civilians, 178 Indian security force personnel and 677 militants were killed, according to government statistics.

The latest battle between Indian soldiers and suspected rebels, in a Kashmiri village south of Srinagar, ended last night after a mosque where rebels were holed up was stormed by troopers. Five rebels were killed in the battle, police said.

Thousands of villagers attended the funeral of the five killed rebels, chanting pro-freedom slogans and Quranic verses.