The escalating violence followed the assassination of a shia Muslim leader, who was a supporter of Indian rule. He and four fellow travellers died when their jeep was blown up by a landmine. At the weekend, thousands turned out for his funeral. And the authorities imposed a curfew in parts of Srinagar, the summer capital. We recently went on night patrol with the army, who were already on a high state of alert.
Edgy soldiers blame Pakistan-backed militants for fuelling the conflict.
Though any young civilian they encounter after dark is treated as a potential gunman or bomber. The Indian army took us to their trenches overlooking the Line of Control separating Indian from Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. And across which the two nuclear-armed neighbours watch each other warily. Recent heavy shelling has brought terror to local villages. Hameeda's brother is still recovering from leg wounds after a shell hit their house.