Young men sit beside a pile of rocks and a
bonfire, protecting the only entrance to a besieged neighbourhood they
call "Kashmir's Gaza" as a mosque loudspeaker broadcasts slogans of
liberation.
In an act of defiance against New Delhi's controversial decision to
strip the Muslim-majority region of its autonomy, Soura neighbourhood on
the outskirts of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar has sealed itself off
from security forces.
Since early August, residents have erected ramshackle barricades of tin
sheets, wooden logs, oil tanks and concrete pillars, and dug trenches to
keep soldiers at bay amid daily protests against India.
"They can only enter Soura over our bodies. We won't give even an inch
of land to India," Mufeed, a resident who volunteers to guard the
neighbourhood at night, told AFP.
"Just like Gaza is resisting Israel, we will fight for our motherland with all our might," Mufeed added.
Kashmir has waged a three-decade long armed rebellion against Indian
rule with tens of thousands of lives, mostly civilians, lost in the
conflict.
Ahead of the announcement, India rushed tens of thousands of extra
troops to the restive region to join 500,000 already in the valley, and
imposed a strict clampdown fearing further unrest.
But protests have broken out, with the lower-middle class Soura leading
the way. At least 15,000 people rallied on August 9 -- the biggest
demonstration in Kashmir so far.
They were met by security forces firing live ammunition, tear gas and
pellet guns to disperse the crowds, with more than two dozen people
reportedly injured.
- 'Go India, go back' -
Soura, a crammed lakeside community of more than 2,000 homes, is surrounded by security forces on three sides.
The renowned mosque Jenab Saeb has become an assembly point for thousands of protesters in the neighbourhood.
Every night, residents march through its narrow lanes, carrying torches
and passing graffiti with the words "Freedom for Kashmir" and "Go India,
go back".
Locals pass along messages if they spot any police movement on the main highway just beyond Soura.
Police forces, who have deployed drones and helicopters, tried to enter
Soura at least three times but were pushed back by stone-throwing youth,
some also armed with axes and harpoons.
Familiar with police's crowd-dispersing tactics, protesters use
saltwater to wash their faces after chilli and tear gas are fired, and
wear helmets and glasses to protect themselves against pellets.
Three youths have so far been arrested after venturing out from the area.
"They (India) are testing our resilience and they will definitely fail," local Nahida told AFP.
"We defeated them last time and even if this situation continues for years, we won't give-in."
Despite the Soura protests, authorities stress that Kashmir has remained largely peaceful since the lockdown.
- 'Making amends' -
Soura has long been part of restive Kashmir's history since the region
was divided between India and Pakistan after independence from the
British in 1947.
It was the birthplace of Kashmir's former prime minister Sheikh
Abdullah, who agreed to join India as a state with autonomy rights.
His National Conference party -- which has fought for more autonomy
while being under Indian rule -- ran the state for more than three
decades, with his son Farooq Abdullah and grandson Omar Abdullah
becoming chief ministers.
Farooq and Omar Abdullah were detained by New Delhi as part of the lockdown.
Residents have become more anti-India in recent years. In 2016 when mass
street protests broke out over the death of a popular militant
commander, Soura was the scene of dozens of clashes with government
forces.
Soura resident Rafiq Mansoor Shah said many locals shared his misgivings about Abdullah's decision to accede to India.
Under the new arrangements announced this month, Indians from other
parts of the vast nation can now apply for government jobs and buy
property in Kashmir. But many Soura natives like Shah believe New Delhi
has "nefarious plans to grab our land".
"Because of (the Abdullah family's) greed for power... we have become
slaves of India. We are trying to correct the historical mistake," he
told AFP.
"We are trying to lead and inspire the rest of Kashmir."
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