SRINAGAR: Police say around 100 people have been injured as government forces fired tear gas and shotgun pellets to quell thousands of protesters who pelted rocks and burned a government office in the Indian portion of Kashmir.
A police officer said clashes erupted Sunday when police tried to stop the marchers heading to a village in Shopian district in response to a call from separatist groups challenging India's sovereignty over Kashmir.
Also Sunday, key separatist leaders refused to meet a group of Indian lawmakers who came from New Delhi as part of government efforts to restore normalcy in Kashmir.
A prolonged curfew, communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of the largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by a rebel commander's killing in July.