Kashmiri man sets himself on fire to protest ban
Nov 23, 2012, 10:48 AM
SRINAGAR, India (AP) – A Kashmiri Indian man set himself on fire Friday to protest a police ban on religious processions marking the Muslim month of Muharram in Indian-controlled Kashmir’s main city.
Police said that the man suffered minor injuries and was been detained.
During Muharram, Shiite Muslims commemorate the seventh century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson.
Authorities imposed a curfew in at least at three places in Srinagar fearing the religious processions would turn into anti-India protests.
Police said that clashes erupted when troops tried to stop groups of Shiite Muslims from gathering.
Large public gatherings have been banned in Indian Kashmir since the outbreak of an armed insurgency against Indian rule in 1989.
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