Police and protesters clashed Friday in Indian-administered Kashmir as
separatist groups carried out a day-long strike against Indian rule.
More than 40 people are reported to have been injured.
Shops,
businesses and schools were closed in the region. Separatists say the
strike - which coincided with United Nations Day - was to mark the
adoption of a U.N. resolution calling for a referendum to determine
whether Kashmir should be part of India or Pakistan.
Pro-separatist protests have grown in recent months, but have been largely contained by Indian security forces.
India plans to hold multi-stage local elections in Kashmir beginning in November.
Earlier this week, Indian authorities arrested two separatist leaders who had called for a boycott of the vote.
About 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in Indian-administered Kashmir since a separatist insurgency began in 1989.
Kashmir
is divided between India and Pakistan. Two of the three wars the two
countries have fought have been over the disputed territory.
