The demonstrations came as police continued to probe five cases elsewhere in the state in which innocent civilians were detained, killed and passed off as Islamic militants by security forces seeking cash rewards and promotions.

The new clashes, which left 15 policemen and 20 civilians hurt, erupted in Kupwara town, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir where an Islamic separatist insurgency has raged since 1989.

"We've requisitioned more policemen to quell the protest," senior police officer Vijay Kumar said as police fired shots in the air, used teargas and charged at the protesters with batons.

The clashes, in which over 3,000 villagers chanted, "We want justice," and stoned government buildings, broke out after four people died in police firing last Thursday.

Police said three of the dead were militant suspects who were shot as they were about to storm an army camp and that the fourth, a woman, was caught in the crossfire.

However, the villagers maintained all four were innocent. They said the three men were shot in cold blood by police and accused the police of killing the woman as she was a witness to the deaths.

Separatists and several pro-India political parties have urged the government to probe the incident.

"The three were killed in a fake gunbattle. The woman was shot dead as she was a witness to the killings by police," said Bashir Ahmed, the president of the Kupwara lawyers' group.