APR 02 (DNA) – Massive anti-India protests erupted in several parts of the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir on Sunday amid fierce fighting between rebels and government forces that left at least 12 militants and three soldiers dead, officials said.

At least four civilians were killed and dozens injured in the latest round of anti-India protests, which broke out after Indian troops launched counterinsurgency operations targeting mainly the southern parts of disputed Kashmir, where new-age rebels have revived militancy and challenged New Delhi’s rule with guns and effective use of social media.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. The protests have persisted despite the Indian army chief warning recently that tough action would be taken against stone throwers during counterinsurgency operations.

Thousands of Kashmiris hit the streets on Sunday, chanting anti-India slogans and demanding an end to Indian rule over Kashmir as troops launched anti-rebel operations in three southern villages. By the time, authorities handed over the bodies of some of the slain rebels to their families, tens of thousands had gathered to attend their funerals while shouting slogans like “Go India, go back” and “We want freedom.”

The gun battles — the deadliest this year in Kashmir — began overnight after government forces raided three southern villages following a tip that rebels were hiding there, police said.

They said that after the government forces came under fire, the militants tried to escape from a security cordon while firing their guns and grenades but were killed in the ensuing fighting. At least 11 militants, including some commanders, were killed in two separate gun battles in the Shopian area, while one rebel was killed and another captured in Anantnag, said top police officer S.P. Vaid.

Three soldiers were killed and at least six police and soldiers were wounded, Vaid said. While eight of the dead militants were identified as local cadres of Kashmir’s largest rebel group, Hizbul Mujahideen, troops were still clearing off the rubble of a destroyed house at a third gun battle site where bodies of three militants were lying, Vaid said. Local residents said soldiers blasted several civilian homes with explosives while fighting the militants.