Locals in Kashmir gather near a taxi mangled after a collision with an army truck in Srinagar
Separatists have called for a one-day shutdown in the Kashmir Valley on Thursday after an army truck rammed into a cab killing seven people in Srinagar.
An army recovery crane had a head-on collision with a private taxi ferrying passengers on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway, which leads to the India-Pakistan border, this morning. Three passengers died on the spot while four others, including a pregnant woman, died in a hospital, police said.
The accident led to protests on the outskirts of Srinagar, with locals attempting to set the army truck on fire and blocking the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.
The army resorted to firing in the air to disperse the crowds before the police used tear smoke shells to chase away the protesters.
A police spokesman said the situation was now under control and the army vehicle has been seized and FIR has been registered in Police Station Parimpora.
Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, called for a general strike on Thursday to protests against the accident.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who faces assembly elections later this year, tweeted his condolences to the victim's families and said "The accident happened with an army truck but it was an accident, not a deliberate action. I hope better sense & cooler heads prevail."