Kashmir hostages have throats cut

By Altaf Hussain
BBC correspondent in Srinagar

A railway engineer and his brother who were kidnapped in Indian-administered Kashmir have been found dead with their throats cut.

Police found the bodies of the men, both Hindus, near the town of Shupiyan, about 60km south of state summer capital, Srinagar.

Authorities are blaming separatist Islamic militants for the killings.

The kidnappers released two Muslim hostages but had demanded about $10,000 to free the others.

Killings condemned

The men were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday, south of Srinagar.

No militant group has yet said it carried out the kidnappings and killings.

The engineer worked for the state-run railway construction company - Ircon International.

A spokesman for the Kashmir separatist alliance - the All Party Hurriyat Conference - condemned the killings, calling them a conspiracy to malign its struggle to free Kashmir of Indian rule.

A similar statement has been issued by the militant group, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen.

The state's tourism minister, Ghulam Hassan Mir, said all efforts were being made to bring the killers to justice.