SRINAGAR: Suspected separatists in Indian-administered Kashmir abducted and killed a military officer who was home on leave for a wedding, the army said on Wednesday.
Villagers found Ummer Faiyaz’s body early Wednesday, a day after he was snatched by unidentified men at his cousin’s wedding.
“Some unidentified terrorists yesterday abducted and then killed a young unarmed army officer,” an army statement said.
The killing comes amid an upsurge in violence in the disputed Himalayan region, where separatists opposed have repeatedly attacked government forces and banks in recent weeks.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Around 500,000 Indian soldiers are deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir, making it one of the most heavily militarised places in the world. Many local people deeply resent their presence.
Officials say the ranks of separatist groups fighting for independence have swelled since last July when the killing of a popular militant leader by government forces sparked months of unrest across the territory that left more than 100 people dead.
On Sunday, separatists attacked a police squad in Kashmir, triggering a gunbattle that left three civilians, one officer and an assailant dead.
The unit came under fire Saturday night as it reached a road accident site on a key highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of India, said senior police officer S.P. Pani.
He said the dead civilians were road construction officials of a private company.
One civilian and one police officer also were injured in the shootout, he said.
Police believe two insurgents escaped under the cover of darkness after the officers swiftly retaliated in Malpora, a village 65 km (40 miles) south of Srinagar.
Later, thousands of people participated in the burial of the militant. They chanted anti-India slogans amid a gun salute by militants who joined the procession.
Insurgents have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or merger with neighboring Pakistan since 1989.
Last week, the Indian army launched a massive search operation in southern Kashmir to hunt for militants.
Off-duty India soldier kidnapped, killed in Kashmir
Off-duty India soldier kidnapped, killed in Kashmir
Julio Iglesias calls sexual abuse allegations against him ‘absolutely untrue’
- “I deny having abused, coerced or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and cause me great sadness,” Iglesias said
- A Spanish high court received formal allegations against Iglesias on Jan. 5, officials said
MADRID: Grammy-winning singer Julio Iglesias on Friday denied allegations that he sexually assaulted two former employees, calling the accusations “absolutely untrue.”
Media reports from earlier this week alleged Iglesias had sexually and physically assaulted two women who worked at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas between January and October 2021. A day later, Spanish prosecutors said they were studying the allegations.
“With deep sorrow, I respond to the accusations made by two people who previously worked at my home. I deny having abused, coerced or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and cause me great sadness,” Iglesias said on Instagram.
Spanish news outlet elDiario.es and US television network Univision Noticias published the joint, three-year investigation on Jan. 13 into Iglesias’ alleged misconduct.
A Spanish high court received formal allegations against Iglesias on Jan. 5, officials said. Iglesias could potentially be taken in front of the Madrid-based court, which can try alleged crimes by Spanish citizens while they are abroad, according to its press office.
A rights group representing the two women said they were accusing Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and indemnity such as sexual harassment” and of “human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude.” Women’s Link Worldwide said the two women had presented the complaint to the Spanish court.
The 82-year-old is one of the world’s most successful musical artists, having sold more than 300 million records in more than a dozen languages. After making his start in Spain, Iglesias won immense popularity in the US and wider world in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the father of pop singer Enrique Iglesias.
In 1988, he won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance for his album “Un Hombre Solo.” He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys in 2019.
“I had never experienced such malice, but I still have the strength for people to know the full truth and to defend my dignity against such a serious affront,” Iglesias wrote on social media.
He thanked those who had sent messages of support.
