Separatists call strike to protest army killings of 4 boys

(24 Feb 2006) 1. Protestors with an effigy with 33RR (Rashtriya Rifles paramilitary force ) written on it 2. Pan of burning effigy being carried by the demonstrators 3. Protesters with the burning effigy; throwing stones at security 4. Various of the demonstrators throwing stones 5. Various of policemen firing tear gas at the demonstrators 6. Close up of stones lying on the street with policemen walking over them 7. Protesters holding a banner near hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's house 8. Various of Geelani being supported by crowd 9. Geelani being led away by the police in a jeep STORYLINE: Police fired tear gas at nearly 2,000 demonstrators outside a mosque in Indian-controlled Kashmir's main city on Friday as separatist groups called for a general strike after four boys were killed during an army manhunt for militants. Five protesters and two policemen were injured when the demonstrators attacked government forces with stones and burned effigies of Indian soldiers after Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Srinagar, according to police. Police used tear gas and wooden batons to disperse the protesters. No injuries were reported. Shops and businesses closed, buses and cars stayed off the roads in Srinagar after angry crowds pelted passing vehicles with stones. The Srinagar protest was sparked by a shooting on Sunday in the nearby village of Dodipora, where protesters say security forces cordoned off a playground and fired indiscriminately during a hunt for a militant suspect. Four boys between the ages of 6 and 18 died in the shooting - the army, however, denies its soldiers fired indiscriminately. Maj. Gen. N. K. Singh said the army had sealed off part of Dodipora after receiving a tip that militants were hiding there. A gunfight broke out after the militants hurled grenades at the soldiers, and the boys died in the crossfire, Singh said. The call for the general strike was made on Thursday by the All Party Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella body of separatist groups. On Friday, police also detained hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, fearing he would lead fresh protests. Separatist rebels have been fighting Indian government troops since 1989 for Kashmir's independence from India. The divided Himalayan region is administered in two portions by India and Pakistan. More than 67,000 people have been killed in the conflict. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...