Gunmen Massacre 36 Sikhs in India’s Kashmir, Police Say

SRINAGAR, India — Gunmen killed 36 Sikhs in India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir late Monday, even as President Clinton was beginning a visit to the Asian nation, police said.

It was the first major attack on the Sikhs since a Muslim insurgency began 10 years ago in Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan claim the Himalayan territory and have fought two wars over it.

Clinton--who returned to New Delhi, 400 miles to the south, on Monday evening after a day trip to Bangladesh--had said that reducing tensions between India and Pakistan was one of his objectives for the trip.

Indian army officers had said earlier that they expected a major operation by pro-separatist militants to draw attention to Kashmir during Clinton’s visit. Many Kashmiris were anticipating that the president’s visit would lead to a breakthrough in the long deadlock on Kashmir’s future.

Gunmen entered the village of Chati Singhpura Mattan after dark Monday and forced the residents from their homes, police officials said on condition of anonymity.

They segregated the men from the women, announcing that they were conducting a “crackdown.” Then the gunmen opened fire on the men, killing 36 of them.