Dozens injured as anti-Indian protesters clash with police after blaze destroys shine of Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Srinagar

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

A fire has destroyed a Muslim shrine in India's portion of Kashmir, prompting anti-government protests by residents angered over what they said was a slow response by firefighters.

The cause of the fire at the 200-year-old shrine of Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Srinagar was not immediately known. The blaze started from the roof shortly after morning prayers and quickly engulfed the wooden structure, a police official said.The 11th-century saint, also popularly known as Ghaus-e-Azam, is buried in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The shrine, which held his relics, has served as an important centre of Islamic and spiritual teachings in Kashmir.

"The holy relics are safe and have been retrieved," the officer said.

Police and soldiers laid barbed wire and erected steel barricades on roads leading to the shrine where thousands of men and women had gathered, many of them wailing and crying.

Scores of firefighters tried to douse the flames but protesters threw stones at them, saying their response was slow. Thousands of people crowded nearby streets, chanting anti-India slogans and demanding Kashmir's freedom from Indian rule.

Clashes erupted in at least four other neighbourhoods in Srinagar, with protesters throwing stones at police and officers responding by firing bullets into the air and using tear gas, the officer said.

At least 30 protesters and 10 policemen were injured in the clashes, police report. Shops and businesses stayed closed.

Authorities appealed for calm and ordered an investigation into the cause of the fire.

"It's an unfortunate incident. The probe will be completed within a few days," the law minister, Ali Mohammed Sagar, told reporters in Srinagar.

But separatists rejected the government inquiry and instead called for an independent investigation. They also called for a general strike on Tuesday.

"It needs to be thoroughly probed as the custodians of the shrine informed us that the fire started at least three places in the shrine," said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a separatist leader. "We've no faith in government probes. They always use these tactics to becalm public anger."

Anti-Indian sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where rebel groups have fought since 1989 for independence from India or its merger with neighbouring Pakistan.

More than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising and subsequent Indian crackdown.