Businesses, schools and roads have been shut down in Indian-controlled Kashmir due to a strike against the government's recent fuel price hike. Streets are largely empty for a straight third day in Srinagar, the main city of India's Jammu-Kashmir state. Government offices, banks and schools are either closed or poorly staffed, and thousands of tourists are stranded in the city. A large traders group called the strike in the Himalayan region. Authorities on Wednesday deployed police and paramilitary soldiers in Srinagar amid warnings of widespread protests. Authorities hiked subsidized gasoline prices by about 10 percent last week to offset soaring international oil prices.
