Nine martyred in clashes over Hurriyat worker death in Occupied Kashmir

SRINAGAR – At least nine Kashmiris embraced martyrdom as crowds angered by the killing of a Hurriyat worker clashed with armed police in Occupied Kashmir on Saturday, torching buildings and blocking streets, officials said. Demonstrators set fire to three police stations and two government buildings in towns south of Srinagar and dozens were injured on both sides. Protests erupted a day after security services shot dead Burhan Wani, a 22-year-old Hurriyat worker for his calls to arms on social media. Photographs appeared to show thousands attending Wani's funeral in his hometown of Tral, about 40 km (25 miles) south of Srinagar, despite restrictions on the movement of people and traffic ordered the night before. Shops, banks and other offices were closed in Srinagar, as Indian troops patrolled the streets outside. Police said they halted traffic on the main highway connecting the state to the rest of India and officials said train services had been temporarily halted in the area. Mobile Internet services were blocked across some parts of the state and cell phone service was interrupted in others. Wani, the son of a school headmaster, regularly posted video messages online, dressed in military fatigues and inviting young men to join struggle for freedom. Hurriyat leaders have called for a strike and three days of mourning. –Reuters