Clashes in Indian-controlled Kashmir over Indian government's plan to built separate townships for Kashmiri Hindus

Indian police Friday fired dozens of teargas shells and resorted to baton charging to chase demonstrators protesting Indian government's plan to built separate colonies for Kashmiri Hindus, witnesses said.

The demonstrators were led by Mohammed Yasin Malik, chairman of pro independent Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

Clashes broke out after huge contingents of Indian police and paramilitary stopped Malik along with his supporters in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The protests began immediately after the Friday afternoon congregational prayers. However, policemen detained Malik along with his party men to prevent them from marching in city center.

Several people including a photojournalist suffered injuries during the clashes. Reports said Malik also sustained minor injuries during police action.

Several Kashmiri Pandits besides some Hindu priests were accompanying Malik. Malik sees government's plan as an effort to change demography of the restive region and a bid to divide Kashmiris on communal lines.

"I am not opposed to the return of pandits (Kashmiri Hindus) but they should not be ghettoized and by creating separate clusters for pandits you are creating walls of hatred," Malik told reporters ahead of demonstrations. "In Palestine, the Jews and Muslims are killing each other, we don't want such an environment. Let them live the way other pandit brothers and sisters are living here."

On Tuesday Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked region's Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed to provide land for " composite townships" for Kashmiri Hindus, to which he readily agreed.

However, the move was opposed by opposition and separatist groups, who asked people to stage protests and observe shutdown on Saturday against the decision.

Though Sayeed later on denied resettling Kashmiri Hindus in separate townships, his coalition partner - Bhartiya Janta Party ( BJP) said they officially support separate homeland.

In 1989, a large portion of Hindu community migrated from Muslim majority areas of the region to Jammu city (the winter capital of region) and northern states of India after an armed insurgency challenging New Delhi's rule broke out in Indian- controlled Kashmir.

According to officials, 219 Kashmiri Hindus were killed in the region from 1989 to 2004. However, 2004 onwards no Hindu killing was reported, officials said.

Following the migration, majority of the pandits sold off their residential houses and other properties.

As per official figures 34,204 Kashmiri Hindus migrated following insurgency in the region. Endi