Police clash with protesters in final leg of Kashmir vote

Police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters Wednesday in Indian Kashmir, where tens of thousands of soldiers were deployed for the seventh and final leg of multi-stage state elections.

At least 20 people were injured in the violence between the security forces and anti-poll demonstrators in the Kashmiri summer capital Srinagar, where voter turnout was low in line with a boycott call by Muslim separatist groups.

"Srinagar recorded 20 percent voter turnout," chief electoral officer B.R. Sharma told reporters.

At the last state elections fewer than 10 percent voters went to the polls, he said, describing Wednesday's polling as "by and large peaceful".

Around 30,000 troops were deployed on the streets of the city, which has long been the hub of a 20-year insurgency against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region.

Another 20,000 soldiers patrolled the districts of Jammu and Samba, where balloting was also taking place.

"I fail to understand if the Indians are holding elections or going to war," complained Srinagar resident Mohammed Hafiz, 60. Indian Kashmir has been under federal rule since July following the collapse of the state government over a land row that triggered a revival of anti-India demonstrations.

"We are for freedom from India. We will never take part in Indian-held elections," said engineering graduate Idrees Shangloo, one of many who stayed away from the polling booths.

Despite the boycott call by separatists and armed rebels, who argue that the polls confirm India's hold over the disputed region, voter turnout in the first six rounds stood at more than 50 percent.

The elections had to be held in multiple stages to ensure security in the Himalayan region, where at least 47,000 have been killed in violence linked to the insurgency.

Srinagar, Friday, AFP