Sunday, May 19, 2013
Indian man sets himself on fire to protest ban
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 23, 2012
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — An Indian man has set himself on fire to protest a police ban on religious processions marking the Muslim month of Muharram in Indian-controlled Kashmir's main city.
Police said Friday that the man suffered minor injuries and has been detained.
During Muharram, Shiite Muslims commemorate the seventh century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.
Authorities imposed a curfew in at least at three places in Srinagar fearing the religious processions would turn into anti-India protests.
Police said that clashes erupted when troops tried to stop groups of Shiite Muslims from gathering.
Large public gatherings have been banned in Indian Kashmir since the outbreak of an armed insurgency against Indian rule in 1989.
