Detainee releases offered to ease Kashmir unrest
The Indian government said Saturday it will ask authorities to release hundreds of students and youths detained during months of civil unrest that has left at least 107 people dead in Kashmir and review the massive deployment of security forces there.
The government also offered a dialogue, saying it would appoint interlocutors to talk to all stakeholders in the Indian-controlled portion of the divided Himalayan region, where many oppose Indian rule. It stopped short of offering direct talks with separatist leaders.
These "steps should address the concerns of different sections of people, including protesters," Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said.
At least 107 people, mostly teenage boys and young men in their 20s, have died in the crackdown by security forces on often-violent demonstrations since June, with every death stoking public anger and more protests. The government's proposals follow a visit by nearly 40 lawmakers from major Indian national parties to seek ways to end the unrest.
Chidambaram said New Delhi would advise the state government to "immediately release all students and youth detained or arrested for pelting stones and withdraw charges against them." There are believed to be hundreds of such detainees.
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