Three people were killed Saturday in Indian-controlled Kashmir when, police said, government forces fired on anti-India protesters.

In a statement, police said some protesters threw rocks at an army patrol unit in the Redwani area. The statement said that "five individuals sustained injuries" when the soldiers tried to disperse the protesters.

Non-police witnesses said the soldiers opened fire after the protesters threw rocks at them.

The Associated Press reported that the people killed were two young men and a teenage girl. It quoted medics as saying the three died at a hospital after being injured.

Kashmir, a disputed territory divided between Pakistan and India, is home to deep rivalries. An insurgency calling for independence or full Pakistani rule has been going on since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of backing the insurgency.