Anger sweeps Indian held Kashmir as teacher dies in custody

SRINAGAR: Schools and businesses shut across Indian-administered Kashmir on Wednesday as protests grew over the death in police custody of a young school teacher that sparked outrage across the restive territory.

Police bundled Rizwan Asad Pandit from his home in a late-night raid Sunday to a detention centre in the main city of Srinagar, where he died in the early hours of Tuesday.

No official explanation has been offered for his death. Police say Pandit -- who spent his 29th birthday in custody -- was taken "in pursuance of a terror case investigation".

Indian military launched an aggressive, sweeping crackdown that has seen hundreds arrested since.

But his family said Pandit had no links to militancy and was murdered.

"He has been murdered in cold blood, and now they are telling lies about his death. How could that be? He has been tortured to death," Pandit´s brother Zulqarnain Pandit told local newspaper Kashmir Reader.

News of his death spread quickly in Kashmir, where popular anger against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region often erupts into violent clashes between civilians and government forces.

Local authorities have ordered an inquiry into Pandit´s death but police have not registered an official investigation yet.

Shops and schools were shut in Srinagar and large parts of Kashmir in protest after three major separatist groups in the region called for a strike.

Rights groups, including the UN rights office, have accused Indian forces of acting with "virtual immunity" in Kashmir, protected by laws that shield soldiers from prosecution.

There have been more than 100 official inquiries into civilian deaths in Kashmir since 2008 but none has resulted in convictions, said Khurram Parvez, a high-profile local activist.

"This absolute impunity completely scuttles justice," he said.

At the height of major demonstrations against Indian rule in 2016, another teacher died in military custody, fuelling popular anger.

The soldiers accused of murdering the man were never prosecuted.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their freedom from British rule in 1947. The rivals have fought two wars over the Himalayan territory.

Freedom seeking groups have waged an insurgency against Indian rule for 30 years, some seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.