Three policemen and a woman were killed in Indian Kashmir, police said Wednesday, as the restive mainly Muslim region prepared for the fasting month of Ramadan.
The woman was killed and eight other people injured when their bus was caught in cross-fire between Muslim militants and Indian soldiers during an ambush, police said.
Militants also killed three policemen in a separate attack about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's summer capital.
Violent anti-India protests have brought Kashmir's towns and cities to a standstill since a teenage student was killed by a police tear-gas shell on June 11.
Over 50 people -- mostly young men and teenagers -- have been killed, most of them as a result of police firing. The violence is the deadliest spate of protests the region has seen in two years.
Ramadan starts on Thursday in India, following the sighting of a new moon.
In the past, Ramadan has been marked by increased violence in Kashmir as militants believe those who die fighting during the holy month gain extra heavenly rewards.
Police on Wednesday fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse thousands of people who gathered in the northern district of Kreeri to mourn and protest the death of a teenage student, police and witnesses said.
Residents say the youth went missing late last month after his arrest by security forces. On Tuesday evening his body was recovered from a river.
A police spokesman said that a murder case would be registered and promised a professional and transparent investigation.
Another two people were hurt when police fired at violent anti-India protesters in Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar, police said.
India-administered Kashmir has been the scene of a bitter Muslim insurgency since 1989 that has left more than 47,000 people dead according to an official count.
Copyright 2010 AFP South Asian Edition
