Around 100 injured in clashes in Indian Kashmir

Police say around 100 people have been injured as government forces fired tear gas and shotgun pellets to quell thousands of protesters who pelted rocks and burned a government office in the Indian portion of Kashmir.

A police officer said clashes erupted Sunday when police tried to stop the marchers heading to a village in Shopian district in response to a call from separatist groups challenging India's sovereignty over Kashmir.

Also Sunday, key separatist leaders refused to meet a group of Indian lawmakers who came from New Delhi as part of government efforts to restore normalcy in Kashmir.

A prolonged curfew, communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of the largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by a rebel commander's killing in July.