5 Killed, 75 Hurt in India Protest

Police fired on crowds protesting the arrest of a separatist leader in northern Jammu and Kashmir state, killing at least five people and wounding 75, officials said.

Demonstrators were protesting the arrest of Shabir Ahmed Shah, leader of the People’s League. The league is an underground group calling for the state to secede from India and join Pakistan. Shah, who calls for armed struggle to achieve the group’s aims, was arrested Thursday.

India and Pakistan both claim Jammu and Kashmir and have fought three wars over the region since both countries gained independence from Britain in 1947. Jammu-Kashmir, a former Himalayan principality, is India’s only predominantly Islamic state.