Some curbs reimposed in India-controlled Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India-controlled Kashmir－Indian authorities reimposed restrictions on movement in parts of India-controlled Kashmir's biggest city, Srinagar, on Sunday after overnight clashes between residents and police in which dozens were injured, two senior officials and eyewitnesses said.

Since Saturday, there have been a series of protests against the decision on Aug 5 by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government to revoke the autonomy of the region.

The officials said security forces had been pelted with stones on 47 occasions on Saturday night in the Kashmir Valley, and more than 20 on Sunday. One said the protests were growing more intense.

On Saturday, about two dozen people reported to Srinagar's two main hospitals with injuries, mainly from pellets fired by Indian forces, said the officials, who declined to be named. Residents and police said many people with pellet wounds were not seeking treatment for fear of being identified and arrested.

The state and federal governments did not respond to questions about the number of incidents and the level of injuries.

India has imposed a security lockdown in its portion of Kashmir to avoid violence in reaction to the move to change the territory's status.

The government has said it was gradually restoring phone lines and easing the lockdown, but changes were slow. Public buses were running in rural areas, but soldiers limited the movement of people on mostly deserted streets in Srinagar, the region's main city.

The Press Trust of India reported that restrictions were reimposed in parts of Srinagar after violence was reported on Saturday.

About 300 Kashmiris returned to Srinagar on Sunday from their Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Many of them became emotional while reuniting with their family members who met them at the city's airport. Due to the security and communications lockdown, many travelers were unable to contact relatives and friends in the Kashmir region.

On Monday, Pakistan said Indian troops fired across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region, killing two civilians.

Pakistan and Indian often exchange fire in the Himalayan region, but tensions have increased since Aug 5 when New Delhi changed the status of India-controlled Kashmir, which is split between the nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. Both countries claim the entire area.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that civilian casualties occurred on Sunday because of "unprovoked cease-fire violations" by India in the border villages of Hot Spring and Chirikot.

Pakistan and India have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.

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