SRINAGAR: Indian police in Kashmir fired shots in the air and released tear gas for a third straight day on Wednesday to quell violent protests sparked by the death of a Muslim boy.

Police said 15 security personnel and 15 protesters were injured in the Kashmiri summer capital, Srinagar, and the towns of Baramulla, Pulwama and Shopian.

Wamiq Farooq died on Sunday after being struck by a tear gas shell fired by police to quell an anti-India demonstration in Srinagar.

Scores of protesters shouting “Blood for blood!” and “God is great!” hurled rocks and bricks at riot police at several points in Srinagar and other towns on Wednesday, prompting police to fire warning shots and release tear gas.

Rock-throwing protesters also attacked an army convoy with stones on the outskirts of Srinagar, injuring four soldiers, according to police and witnesses.

Wamiq's killing has sparked violent clashes across the mainly Muslim Kashmir Valley. So far, more than 100 protesters and policemen have been injured.

Witnesses said Wamiq had gone out to play cricket and was not among the protesters who clashed with police on Sunday.

Kashmiri separatists have held regular rallies, which often turn violent, since 2008. More than 60 protesters have died in the rallies since then, most of them during firing by the police.

The region is in the grip of a 20-year insurgency against Indian rule.

According to an official count the unrest has left more than 47,000 people dead. -AFP