SRINAGAR, July 13: Hundreds of Kashmiris clashed with government forces as shops closed on Friday in occupied Kashmir in response to a call for a strike to mark the anniversary of Martyr's Day, when 21 Kashmiris were ordered killed to quell a 1931 uprising.

The July 13 event commemorates the men sentenced to die by the army of a Hindu king, who then ruled the Muslim-majority territory. “We’ll never forget thousands of Kashmiris who have carried on the mission of the 1931 martyrs and laid their lives for the noble cause,” said Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.

Kashmir streets were deserted, with public transport off the roads. Police and security forces set up additional road checkpoints in Srinagar city, where Farooq led 4,000 supporters after the Friday prayers to the martyr's graveyard.—AFP