Shootout between Kashmir rebels, Indian police kills 4

Indian authorities say a gunbattle between militants and Indian police in the disputed region of Kashmir has killed at least two police and two civilians

SRINAGAR, India -- A heated gunbattle between militants and Indian police broke out Saturday in the disputed region of Kashmir, killing at least two police and two civilians, officials said. Anti-India protests later erupted during the civilians' funerals in Sopore, the northwestern town where the fighting took place, after local residents alleged police had shot and killed one of the civilians after the militants fled the scene. Police director-general Dilbag Singh told reporters that militants had opened fire on a group of police who were enforcing coronavirus restrictions in the main market of Sopore, and police returned fire. Amid the shooting, Singh said two civilians and two policemen were killed, while two officers and a civilian were injured. He spoke during a wreath-laying ceremony for the slain police personnel in Srinagar, the region’s main city.