Tens of thousands of Muslims took to the streets of Indian Kashmir on Saturday to mourn the death of a separatist leader.
Protesters traveled from Kashmir's main town Srinagar to the hometown (Pampur) of Sheikh Abdul Aziz who, along with 21 others, was killed by police this week in street battles.
Police kept their distance from today's demonstration to avoid triggering another clash.
On Friday, thousands of Muslims protested India's rule over Kashmir
after authorities lifted a curfew following days of violent
demonstrations.
At least 500 people were wounded in clashes this week between Muslim separatists and Indian security forces.
The unrest was triggered by the state government's June decision to
donate land to a Hindu shrine. Muslims staged mass protests, forcing
the government to revoke the transfer, which angered Hindus who sparked
fresh protests this week with a roadblock.
In India's capital, New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
called Friday for an end to the violence, saying divisive politics will
lead the country nowhere. He said it is his conviction that all issues
can be resolved only through dialogue and peaceful means.
Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India, and claimed by both. The
dispute has led to two of the three wars between the nuclear-armed
rivals. Islamic separatists have been fighting for Kashmir's
independence from India, or for the region's merger with
Muslim-dominated Pakistan.