Hundreds of protesters chanting pro-independence slogans clashed with soldiers in the main city of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Wednesday, the last day of voting in state elections. At least nine people were injured when troops fired tear gas shells and used bamboo batons to stop the protesters marching to the center of Srinagar, a police officer said on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy. Separatists have urged residents to protest and boycott the poll, saying the election will only strengthen India's hold on the Himalayan region. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people favor either independence or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. The elections, which began Nov. 17, were being held in seven phases. The results are expected to be announced on Dec. 28. The staggered balloting allowed the government to deploy thousands of security forces in each area in a bid to prevent the deadly violence sparked by elections in 2002 and thwart separatist attempts to enforce the boycott. Voting in earlier stages of the election was largely peaceful, with a higher-than-expected turnout of more than 60 percent, though scattered anti-India protests have continued throughout. Nevertheless, voter turnout was low Wednesday in Srinagar, where authorities banned gatherings of more than five people to thwart possible anti-India protests, the police official said. Troops also sealed off neighborhoods with steel barricades and razor wire to prevent people from congregating. Thousands of government troops wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying assault rifles patrolled the streets and guarded polling stations. Troops outnumbered voters outside the polling stations in several neighborhoods. “How can we vote for the candidates who are being protected by soldiers who have killed thousands of Kashmiris,” said Shabir Ahmed, a protester in Srinagar. In Muslim-majority areas in Srinagar, voter turnout was about 20 percent. It was about 70 percent in Hindu-majority areas in Jammu, said B.R. Sharma, the state's chief election officer. Some 1.6 million of the state's roughly 6.5 million eligible voters live in the areas voting Wednesday. Police arrested three men Tuesday they say were planning suicide bombings during polling in Hindu-majority Jammu city. They said the three were Pakistanis, including one who was an active soldier. A Pakistan military official said the man whom Indian police identified as Ghulam Farid had deserted the army in June 2006.
