Standoff at Indian Shrine Ends as Rebels Leave

Separatist rebels barricaded inside Kashmir’s holiest shrine since Sunday left the building Tuesday, and police allowed them safe passage to their nearby headquarters, authorities said.

The rebels’ retreat helped defuse a crisis that had threatened to damage the Hazratbal mosque in Srinagar, which Kashmiri Muslims believe contains a hair of the Prophet Muhammad. The government feared widespread violence if the white marble shrine was damaged.

Indian police immediately took control of the mosque, and the chief priest and 10 prominent citizens inspected the glass vial containing the relic, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It was not clear whether authorities would try to apprehend the rebels or would let them go to avoid further violence.

The crisis began Sunday after a gun battle broke out between local police and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front militants, killing at least 11 people. Indian security forces surrounded the mosque, and the rebels barricaded themselves inside.

The rebels began leaving Tuesday in small groups and went to their headquarters outside the mosque complex, government spokesman Kulbhushan Jandiyal said.

He said all 17 holed up inside the mosque had departed by the end of the day.

The government has demanded that all rebels in Jammu and Kashmir surrender by Wednesday evening and has urged the public to stop sheltering militants.