WORLD : 350,000 March in Farooq Rites
About 350,000 mourners beating their breasts and crying for revenge marched today in a funeral procession for the chief Muslim cleric of Kashmir, who was assassinated in his home by three unknown gunmen.
The procession passed peacefully although police say at least 50 died Monday when security forces fired on thousands of Muslims who seized Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq’s body from a hospital and carried it through the streets. Police reported 25 of the 50 victims had died in hospitals after shootings Monday.
Police took no chances at the funeral, deploying thousands of combat-ready troops across the tense summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state. The predominantly Muslim Kashmir area has been convulsed since mid-January by an uprising against Indian rule.
A curfew was lifted in the areas through which the 3-mile-long funeral procession passed today and authorities withdrew security forces from those areas to avoid provocations.
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