Rubber bullets fired during Kashmir protest against Saddam hanging

Police today fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who burned the American national flag in the Indian portion of Kashmir, protesting against the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Chanting “Down with America”, nearly 300 people threw rocks at policemen who tried to stop them from holding the protest demonstration in Nowhatta district of Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s Jammu-Kashmir state.

They also shouted “Down with George Bush” and said Hussein was denied a fair trial.

Police used rubber bullets and tear gas after they failed to control the marchers with bamboo sticks, said Prabhakar Tripathy, a spokesman for paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force.

At least four paramilitary soldiers and three protesters suffered minor injuries, said Tripathy.