At least 20 people have been killed and 200 injured in Indian-administered Kashmir after fierce clashes between fighters and government forces on Sunday.
Four civilians were killed when police opened fire on protesters. A curfew has been imposed in parts of the state, BBC reported.
Officials in Kashmir say this is the restive region’s worst loss of life during a single day in recent years.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict in Kashmir, which India and Pakistan claim in full.
As well as the civilians, at least three Indian soldiers and 13 suspected militants died in Sunday’s violence, officials say.
After several gunbattles broke out south of Srinagar, hundreds of civilians poured onto the streets in the area to protest against India rule. Many threw stones at security forces.
Many civilians in Kashmir support separatist fighters who want independence or pledge allegiance to Pakistan.
The authorities are braced for more violence.
Schools, colleges and businesses have been shut in the Kashmir valley, following a strike called by separatists in protest at the killings.
Muslim separatists have waged a campaign against Indian rule since the late 1980s.
Cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan has intensified since January, forcing hundreds of villagers along the Line of Control, the de facto border between the Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, to flee their homes.
Both countries accuse each other of targeting the civilian population.
The recent tensions threaten to bring about another wave of protests in the region.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the Himalayan territory.
Kashmir is one of the most militarized regions in the world, as India has stationed about half a million soldiers in the disputed territory.
