The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Srinagar

Indian security forces and stone-throwing protesters demanding an end to Indian rule over Muslim-majority Kashmir clashed for a second straight day on Saturday.

Police used teargas to try and disperse hundreds of Kashmiris who poured on to the streets of the summer capital Srinagar, chanting freedom slogans and denouncing the death of two protesters in similar clashes on Friday that left 80 injured.

The deaths occurred in the Kashmiri towns of Shopian and Baramulla which remained under strict curfew on Saturday. In the past few months, Kashmir has witnessed the biggest pro-independence demonstrations since the separatist insurgency erupted in 1989.

The protests have triggered a heavy crackdown by Indian security forces. Since June, 41 Muslim and three Hindu protesters have been shot dead by security forces in unrest sparked by a state government plan to grant land to a Hindu pilgrim trust.

The land row breathed new life into the separatist struggle in Indian Kashmir, where a two-decade-old insurgency has claimed more than 43,000 lives.