Shepherds die in Kashmir massacre

Security forces were rushed to the area after the attack

Seventeen abducted Hindu shepherds have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir in an attack by suspected separatist militants.

Police say the bodies have been discovered in the remote Doda district, some 240 km (150 miles) north of the state's winter capital, Jammu.

Police have blamed separatist militants although no group has said it carried out the attack.

The militants were said to have kidnapped 21 shepherds who had taken their animals to graze on higher ground.

A local resident alerted police after hearing the sound of gunshots.

They rushed to the area and have now imposed a curfew to prevent news of the attack sparking further violence.

State Governor Girish Chandra Saxena and a federal junior minister and local MP, Chaman Lal Gupta, also visited the area.

"I received a telephone call which informed me that 17 people have been killed," Mr Gupta told journalists in Jammu.

One survivor told journalists that the shepherds were abducted from makeshift shelters where they were resting, and were forced to accompany the attackers.

Summit collapse

After a few yards they were lined up and one of the suspected militants opened fire.

Doda is a region which is 60% Muslim but has a substantial Hindu population.

Last month, suspected militants shot dead 15 Hindu pilgrims in Doda district just days after a summit between India and Pakistan collapsed, apparently over the Kashmir dispute.

Soon after the summit's failure, separatist militants said they would step up attacks against Indian forces in Kashmir.