Five civilians have died in Indian Kashmir, including an 18-year-old man, officials confirmed, one month after Delhi’s decision to revoke the region’s special status.

Residents across Kashmir faced a 31st day living under a heightened military presence, without phone or internet access. A communications blackout was imposed when the Indian government stripped the region of any autonomy on 5 August.

Sporadic protests have continued in Kashmir despite a security lockdown. Forces have responded with teargas and pellet guns.

On Wednesday, senior army officer Lt Gen Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon said five civilians had been killed in the past 30 days, adding “these deaths have happened because of terrorists, stone pelters and puppets of Pakistan”.

Dhillon confirmed the death of Asrar Ahmed Khan, 18, of injuries sustained during a protest nearly a month ago.

Lt Gen Dhillon blamed the deaths on ‘terrorists, stone pelters and puppets of Pakistan’. Photograph: Getty

Officials said they believed Khan was hit by a stone thrown by protesters, though protesters say he was struck by a teargas canister.

It is not clear under what circumstances the four other deaths occurred. Earlier media reports alleging deaths of civilians, including claims a woman died due to teargas inhalation, were denied by officials at the time.

Under the changes announced by Delhi in August, the state of Jammu and Kashmir loses any degree of autonomy, including its constitution and flag. Special rules that prevented outsiders from buying land, and which many Kashmiris believe protects the demography of India’s only Muslim-majority state, also disappear.



Delhi’s actions have escalated tension with Pakistan, which also claims Kashmir, and which has suggested that India could carry out ethnic cleansing in the region.

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, the chief spokesman for Pakistan’s armed forces, told a televised press conference on Wednesday that India was “sowing seeds of war”.

The Indian military said it had detained two suspected members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group when they were trying to cross into Indian Kashmir.



“Pakistan is attempting infiltration every night,” Dhillon said. “Some of them are getting eliminated, some of them are getting foiled and they are returning back to the Pakistani army post from where they were launched.”

Reuters contributed to this report