Police said the top commander of an Islamist group was killed in Indian-ruled Kashmir on Tuesday, triggering protests and prompting the authorities to suspend internet and train services.
Police spokesman Manoj Pandita said Abu Dujana, of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, was gunned down with an accomplice in Pulwama district to the south of the region’s summer capital Srinagar.
Pandita said acting on a tipoff, police launched a search in the village of Hadripora in the early hours and killed the two in a fierce encounter.
Dujana was implicated in several militant attacks in South Kashmir and had a cash reward of 1.5 million rupees (23,400 dollars) on his head.
One protester was killed and several injured as clashes broke out at several places across Kashmir following the incident.
Unrest has simmered in Kashmir since a popular militant leader was killed just over a year ago, sparking clashes that have left more than 90 civilians dead.
India has been struggling to restore normality in Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both India and Pakistan claim in full but rule in part.
India accuses Pakistan of infiltrating militants across a de facto border to carry out attacks, a charge denied by Islamabad. (NAN)