SRINAGAR: Thousands of mourners in India-held Kashmir defied a curfew on Saturday and buried a young man who was shot dead by security forces, police and witnesses said.

Armed policemen and paramilitary soldiers patrolled the area after imposing an indefinite curfew to prevent violence, but did not stop the funeral procession for Farhat Ahmed Dar, 18.

The mourners chanted slogans “Down with India” and “We want freedom” in Naidkhai, a village nearly 30km north of Srinagar. Police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said Dar was killed and two others were wounded when the forces fired at protesters who threatened to attack their armoured vehicle in Naidkhai on Friday.

A strike hit most parts of the disputed region on Saturday with shops and businesses closed in protest against the latest killing.

Shailendra Kumar, a top official, said an inquiry had been ordered.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir.—AP