Violent protests shake Indian Kashmir over man's death

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SRINAGAR, Apr 24 (AFP): Violent protests erupted in revolt-hit Indian Kashmir Saturday, hours after soldiers killed an alleged timber smuggler, mistaking him for a militant, police said.
Four people were wounded when troops opened fire to quell around 4,000 protesters who surged into the street after the man's death, torching two army vehicles and pelting soldiers with rocks, a police officer said. "The four injured people suffered bullets wounds and have been taken to hospital," the officer said, asking not to be identified.
The protests in which demonstators shouted "We want freedom" and "Punish the killers" erupted in Chawan village in southern Shopian district of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region.
Police said the man was killed early Saturday when he walked into an ambush laid by the army for Islamic militants fighting Indian rule. Another alleged timber smuggler was wounded.
Senior police officials rushed to the spot in a bid to ease tensions.
Last week, the body of another man killed by troops was exhumed after his family insisted he was an innocent civilian and not a militant as initially claimed by the army.
After the exhumation, the army issued a statement saying militants had been using the man as either a guide or as a human shield.
The scenic territory, where rebels have been fighting New Delhi's rule for two decades, has lately been hit by a new wave of protests.