JAMMU, May 2: India rushed hundreds of extra troops to hunt for militants in the remote mountains of Kashmir on Tuesday, after 35 Hindus were killed over two days. The troop deployment began as a general strike called to protest against the killings shut down the Jammu region, where some half a million soldiers and policemen are deployed.

Suspected militants shot dead 22 Hindus in two villages in the mountains of Doda district early on Monday. On the same day, nine bullet-riddled bodies of Hindus were found in Udhampur. Four more bodies had been found in the same area on Sunday.

“We are definitely augmenting troop levels to prevent easier movement of militants in these areas,” a police officer told Reuters.

The attacks came as Pakistan and India launched a fresh round of discussions to boost links between the two parts of Kashmir, including opening up of more crossing points and movement of goods across the frontier.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is due to kick off talks on Wednesday with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference to find a way to resolve the conflict.

The prime minister condemned the massacres.

Schools, banks and offices in Doda and Udhampur were closed and traffic was largely limited to security vehicles and government cars.

Federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who visited those wounded in the Doda attack, said the attackers were trying to trigger sectarian strife. “It has been noticed that not only in Jammu and Kashmir but in other places ... some people are trying to make brothers fight with each other,” he told a news conference. He said the government would “deal firmly with those resorting to barbaric activities”.

He said the attacks were aimed at disrupting talks. “Those who indulge in such activities are enemies of peace, tranquillity and dialogue,” he said.

Some Indian officials say the massacre could be a response to high voter turnout in by-elections last week in Doda, and could be aimed at souring the mood ahead of talks.—Reuters/AFP