Date:04/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/04/stories/2007110450370100.htm

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Girl, 2 suspected rebels die in gunbattle

SRINAGAR: Thousands of villagers protested on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir, blaming government forces for the death of a girl.

Chanting slogans like “We want freedom” and “We support militants,” thousands of villagers carried the body of Nusrat Bano, 17, to a local graveyard and buried her at Nila, a village 35 km north of Srinagar. Colonel Majinder Singh, an Indian army spokesman, said Bano was killed early on Saturday in “crossfire” between rebels and soldiers. Ghulam Mohiuddin, a villager, said soldiers shot her as she sought cover near her home. — AP