Two killed in Kashmir firing

Two people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir Sunday allegedly in firing by security forces.

Residents of Markundal village in north Kashmir's Bandipora district, some 40 km from here, alleged that Irfan Nabi Ganai, an 18-year-old student, was killed by security forces early Sunday.

Carrying the body, locals staged a protest in the area. However, when the protesters turned violent and tried to set an army ambulance afire, security forces opened fire in which four people got injured, army sources said.

One of the injured persons, identified as Irshad Ahmad Dar, 28, succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital.

The three other injured people have been admitted to hospital for treatment in Srinagar.

While the army said a press briefing would be held in south Kashmir's Awantipora town Sunday afternoon to provide the exact details of the two incidents, army sources told IANS that the counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles had laid a cordon around Markundal village after receiving a tip-off about the presence of militants there.

"The bullet was fired from outside the cordoned area and not by the troopers," an army source said.

Meanwhile, protests have begun in Markundal and adjacent villages against the killings.

Senior administrative and police officers have rushed to the area to take stock of the situation.