Indian army steps up patrols to check massive street protests in restive Indian Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India – SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian troops patrolled tense, curfew-bound cities in Kashmir on Wednesday in a show of force to help quell increasingly violent street protests.

Patrols in Srinagar, Kashmir's main city, and the key town of Baramulla marked the first time in nearly two decades the army was called in to help police and paramilitary forces curb deadly civil unrest in the troubled Himalayan territory.

The recent deadly violence during demonstrations against Indian rule have raised concerns the situation could spin out of control.

"We are out to give support to the state machinery. We are ready to move anywhere, anytime," Col. Vineet Sood, an army spokesman, said in Srinagar.

The protests have grown increasingly strident in recent weeks, with residents accusing government forces of killing at least 15 people during street demonstrations. The recent unrest had prompted authorities to impose a curfew in most parts of Kashmir.

More than a dozen militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict, which in recent years has largely transformed from an insurgency into street demonstrations.

Thousands of government forces strictly enforced the curfew Wednesday by putting up road blocks and barbed wire, forcing people to stay indoors.

Most streets in Srinagar and other towns were deserted and schools, offices, shops and businesses remained shut.

In the Batmaloo district of Srinagar, small groups of people came out on the streets with placards reading, "Go India, Go Back."

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella group of political and religious outfits, called for street protests later Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Indian forces opened fire on hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in Srinagar killing three people and re-imposed a curfew in the city. The curfew was later extended to other towns as well.

"Our protests and civil disobedience will continue until India withdraws its military and paramilitary soldiers from all populated areas," said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a key separatist leader who led thousands of marchers in downtown Srinagar on Tuesday.

Kashmir is divided between Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan and is claimed by both. Separatist politicians and armed militants in Kashmir reject Indian sovereignty and want to carve out a separate homeland, or merge the predominantly Muslim region with Pakistan.

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