Indian forces rush on the site of a firefight at Zoonimar area in the old city of Srinagar, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, on June 21, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

At least three pro-independence fighters have been killed in an encounter with government forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir, just two days after a deadly shootout in the same area of the restive disputed Himalayan valley.

Indian police said Sunday that the fighters were killed in a firefight in the heart of the restive Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar.

A home was also destroyed during the clash in the Zoonimar area of the densely populated old city of Srinagar.

The latest encounter comes two days after eight fighters died in another gun battle in the old city.

Such armed encounters are frequent in the Himalayan region, which is disputed by India and Pakistan.

Just over a month ago, the son of a top pro-independence leader and his associate were killed in the city. The May incident - a day-long firefight that saw 15 homes blown up by the Indian soldiers -was the first armed encounter between fighters and government forces in Srinagar in two years.

At least 100 pro-independence fighters and about two dozen soldiers have died this year during outbreaks of violence in the part of Kashmir controlled by New Delhi, and along the de facto border dividing the disputed Himalayan region between India and Pakistan.

Tensions remain high in Kashmir against the backdrop of New Delhi’s revocation of the region’s semi-autonomous status last year.

In August 2019, the administration of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the semi-autonomous status of its Jammu and Kashmir state, and imposed a months-long curfew that cut off communications and restricted movement.

Despite India’s efforts to restore normalcy in Kashmir, the region remains tense as people are reluctant to accept India’s move to put the region under its direct control.

Senior officials in New Delhi accuse neighboring Pakistan for orchestrating attacks against Indian troops in the disputed region, a charge Pakistan denies.

SOURCE: PRESS TV