Authorities relax curfew in Indian Kashmir

By Sheikh Mushtaq

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Authorities relaxed a four-day curfew in Indian Kashmir on Thursday to allow people to buy essentials as residents ran short of food during big protests against Indian rule.

At least 30 protesters have been killed by government forces over the past three weeks in some of the largest pro-independence demonstrations since a revolt against New Delhi's rule broke out in Kashmir in 1989. More than 600 have been injured.

In Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, people swarmed into grocery shops as authorities relaxed a curfew for more than an hour. The curfew was briefly relaxed at different times in different areas across much of the Kashmir Valley.

The latest deaths occurred on Wednesday, when troops shot two protesters who police said defied a curfew.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on Wednesday for the Indian government to show restraint and investigate the recent killings.

"OHCHR calls on the Indian authorities and in particular security forces to respect the right to freedom of assembly and expression, and comply with international human rights principles in controlling the demonstrators," the OHCHR said in a statement.

India reacted angrily to the OHCHR comments on Kashmir.

"This is uncalled for and irresponsible; India does not need any advice in respect of the protection and promotion of the human rights of its citizens," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

First sparked by a land row over a Hindu shrine, the protests quickly transformed into rallies that galvanized separatist groups after years of relative calm in the region.

The crisis has strained relations between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full but rule in parts, damaging a tentative peace process and raising fears Kashmir could again become a hotspot between the two nuclear rivals.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir since the armed revolt against New Delhi's rule broke out.

The conflict over the land also sparked large protests in the Hindu-majority region of Jammu, sparking fears of communal conflict gripping parts of the state of more than 10 million people previously less affected by violence.

"EXCESSIVE FORCE"

Indian troops have been criticized by Kashmiris and human rights groups for using excessive force, with reports that they have attacked journalists and ambulance drivers.

Authorities have blocked four local television news channels from broadcasting since Sunday and stopped local newspapers from publishing news for the past five days.