Eleven killed; police stations set on fire

At least 11 protesters died as crowds angered by the killing of a separatist militant clashed with armed police in India's Jammu and Kashmir state yesterday, torching buildings and blocking streets, security officials said.

Police sources told Reuters that demonstrators set fire to three police stations and two government buildings in towns south of the state's summer capital of Srinagar, and three officers had gone missing in the violence.

The protests erupted a day after security services shot dead Burhan Wani, a 22-year-old militant known for his calls to arms on social media. He led Hizb-ul Mujahideen, prominent among the groups fighting Indian control of the Muslim-majority region. His death came amid a rise in violence and separatist sentiment across the state.

Police said 96 security personnel had been injured during the day's violence alongside, the two police sources added, more than 60 protestors.

India's minister for home affairs, Rajnath Singh, released a statement on Twitter night asking for calm.

Shops, banks and other offices were closed in Srinagar, as paramilitary troops patrolled the streets outside. Mobile Internet services were blocked across some parts of the state and cell phone service was interrupted in others.