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Death toll mounts after Kashmir vote
SRINAGAR, Indian-Controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir say at least six people have died in a second straight day of militant attacks in the disputed Himalayan state. In one incident five paramilitary troops were killed when an explosive device was detonated under their vehicle near the town of Traal in southern Kashmir. Earlier at least one person was reported killed and 18 others injured after a bomb detonated by a timing device exploded on a bus headed for Jammu, the winter capital of Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir state. The attack was the second on a bus in as many days. On Tuesday suspected Islamic militants killed at least six and wounded a dozen others in an ambush on a bus close to the Line of Control that divides the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled sectors of Kashmir. Also Tuesday police said three members of a village committee were killed in the northern Kashmiri district of Kupwara in an attack by Muslim separatists. The attacks coincided with the third stage of state legislature elections being held in phases across the Indian part of Kashmir. Other rifle and grenade attacks were reported across the state with several members of the security forces reported injured. Death threatAround 50,000 Indian security personnel were deployed across the territory in an effort to head off election-related violence after militant groups threatened to kill anyone who took part in the polls. India has accused Pakistan of trying to disrupt the elections by allowing the militants to cross into the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Islamabad has repeatedly denied the Indian charge, saying it only gives moral support to groups backing the right of the Kashmiri people for self-determination. Earlier this year the row almost degenerated into all-out war between the two sides. Kashmir has been a point of contention between India and Pakistan since 1947, leading to two wars between the now nuclear-armed neighbors. Since the current elections in Indian-controlled Kashmir were called on August 2, close to 500 people have been killed -- among them more than 30 political activists and several political candidates. That is believed to have been part of the reason for an extremely low turnout in voting areas Tuesday. Boycott
At one voting station in the town of Pahalgam where Islamic militants fighting to end India's control of the region are known to operate, just two people cast their ballots. However, several Kashmiri groups said they were urging voters to boycott the polls demanding instead that a full United Nations-mandated referendum on Kashmir's future be held. As a result most of the more moderate separatist parties have refused to contest the poll, leaving the ground to mainly by pro-Indian parties and a few independents. Most analysts say they expect the state's ruling National Conference party to retain power. In an effort to improve security, voting is being held in staggered phases, with different parts of Kashmir voting on different days. Elections officials estimated a 50 percent turnout in the first round of elections, which began September 16, and a 40 percent turnout in the second round, which was held last Tuesday. The final phase of voting is scheduled for October 8.
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