Three killed in Kashmir violence

Civilians are often trapped in the crossfire in Kashmir

Police say three people have died in an attack by suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir.

At least 16 bystanders at the station were also injured by gunfire and a grenade explosion, police said.

Militants have been fighting Indian rule in Kashmir for 14 years - thousands have died in the conflict.

In the state's summer capital, Srinagar, police used teargas and batons to disperse demonstrators marking World Human Rights Day today.

Escape

Wednesday's attack took place near a bus station in the district of Poonch, the authorities say.

Police there are trying to locate a suspected militant who escaped after the attack.

The three people killed in the incident include a policeman and a militant, police said.

Leaders arrested

The march in Srinagar was headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the leader of a hardline faction of the main grouping of Kashmiri separatist political parties.

Mr Geelani was taken into custody by police, as he tried to lead marchers from the city's Zero Bridge towards an office occupied by UN military observers.

Two other separatist leaders, Yasin Malik and Javed Mir, were also arrested by police.

Mr Malik's arrest also sparked protests from his supporters and police used teargas to disperse them.

Surprise ceasefire

India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring the uprising in Kashmir.

Pakistan denies the charge, saying it only lends diplomatic support to what it calls an indigenous insurgency.

India and Pakistan each control a portion of the divided Himalayan kingdom of Kashmir and have fought two wars trying to gain control of the whole.

Both countries agreed to a surprise ceasefire along the informal border late in November, ending the daily battery of artillery shells that has terrorised civilians in the region.

But Kashmiri militant groups have vowed to keep fighting, dismissing the hesitant rapprochement between Delhi and Islamabad.