Explosion kills pilgrims in Kashmir
At least five pilgrims were killed and 20 others wounded on Monday when suspected rebels set off bombs near one of India’s most revered Hindu shrines in Kashmir.
A police official said explosive devices were detonated in Katra near the Vaishno Devi shrine, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir. They hit a community kitchen where most of the pilgrims were having their dinner.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Security has increased in the area for the annual pilgrimage to Amarnath, another Hindu mountain cave shrine in Kashmir, which began earlier this month.
Rebels have attacked the Amarnath pilgrimage in the past.
Violence has continued unabated in Kashmir despite a thaw in ties between India and Pakistan. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of stoking the 14-year separatist movement in Kashmir. Pakistan denies the charges.
Indian officials say at least 38,000 people have died since the movement against its rule broke out in late 1989. Separatist groups say the toll is more than double that.