Four protesters shot dead in Kashmir

Four more protesters have been killed by security forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir as violence continues to sweep the disputed Himalayan region.

The latest deaths, including that of a teenage student, occurred Monday when Indian forces opened fire in an area in north of the state summer capital Srinagar.

Several others were injured when Indian forces clashed with stone- throwing protesters.

The latest casualties bring to 69 the number of protesters killed by Indian soldiers in the three months of unrest in the region.

The protests began after Indian troops shot and killed a Kashmiri schoolboy in early June.

Demonstrators are defying curfews imposed by India across the Kashmir valley to control the situation.

The region’s influential separatist politicians have led numerous rallies in the disputed valley over the past weeks after the death of the teenage protester.

They have threatened to continue protests until India declares Kashmir an “international dispute” and releases all political prisoners.

The protestors want independence from New Delhi. Thousands have been killed in volatile Indian-administered Kashmir since 1989.