Indian troops kill protester in disputed Kashmir

Government forces shot dead one protester and injured more than 120 others in India-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, just days after three civilians were killed in similar demonstrations in the restive region.

Indian troops used live bullets and pellet guns on hundreds of protesters in Shopian district, south of the major city of Srinagar, hospitalising dozens with serious injuries.

Police said the crowd gathered near the site of a military operation where Indian soldiers had killed two suspected militants, and began throwing stones.

Doctors said more than 120 protesters were brought to three district hospitals, some suffering serious bullet wounds and eye injuries from pellet fire from the melee.

"Six among them had bullet injuries and were referred to Srinagar for advanced treatment," district chief medical officer Abdul Raheed told AFP.

Doctors said an 18-year-old man was shot in the head and later died from his injuries.

"One of the injured persons later succumbed to his injuries," police said.

It follows a weekend of bloodshed in Kashmir in which Indian forces killed three civilians, including a 16-year-old girl, ahead of the anniversary of the death of a popular rebel leader.

Last month, the UN human rights chief released a report calling for an investigation into alleged abuses perpetrated by Indian security forces in Kashmir.

Decades-old conflict

Anti-India sentiments run deep in Muslim-majority Kashmir, which has been divided between Pakistan and India since 1947, with both nations claiming the region entirely.

Over two dozen rebel groups have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989, demanding the Himalayan region be united under Pakistani control or as an independent country. 

India, which has stationed over half a million troops in the region, accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, which Islamabad denies. 

Pakistan says it only gives moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris and that the dispute must be settled according to several UN resolutions on the dispute. 

Nearly 100,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.