India to investigate disputed raid that killed 4 in Kashmir

Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir have ordered an investigation into a police raid that killed four people and led to protests from families of the three victims

SRINAGAR, India -- Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday ordered an investigation into a police raid that killed four people and led to protests from families of the three victims who say their relatives were gunned down in cold blood.

Police had said earlier the two civilians among the victims died in the crossfire when government forces on Monday attacked suspected rebels in Srinagar, the divided region's main city.

Witnesses and families of the civilians and one suspected rebel have denied the police version and said Indian troops used them as human shields during the standoff and killed them deliberately.

Police said the rebels included a Pakistani citizen, but offered no evidence. They also described one of the civilians as an “overground worker,” a term Indian authorities use for rebel sympathizers and their civilian supporters.