Clashes in Indian Kashmir follow boy's death

Police and paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas to quell the protests, which took place in at least three places in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's main city, said Hemant Lohia, a top police officer. There were no reports of new injuries.

On Sunday evening, 14-year-old Wamiq Farooq was struck in his head by a tear gas shell fired by police just after a protest against Indian rule ended, said the boy's neighbor Shakeel Bhat.

Thousands of people gathered at Farooq's home Monday and carried his body for burial, shouting slogans like "We want freedom" and "Indian forces leave Kashmir."

Lohia said the officer who fired the tear gas Sunday was suspended.

"Preliminary investigation suggests that it was a callous and irresponsible action on the part of the officer," he said. "Further action will be taken once the investigation is completed."

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the disputed majority Muslim region, where more than a dozen rebel groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with neighboring Pakistan since 1989.

The region is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.

More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the uprising and the subsequent Indian crackdown.

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