SRINAGAR, Dec 13: Four civilians and a Muslim militant died in the latest violence in Kashmir as thousands of villagers on Monday blocked a main road in an anti-government protest, police and witnesses said.

Police said Indian troops overnight shot dead a militant, minutes after he 'infiltrated' into the border district of Poonch. "Other militants managed to flee back across the Line of Control (LoC)," a police spokesman said.

Suspected rebels, police said, hanged a Muslim civilian in Rajouri district and shot dead two more Muslims when they opened fire at a shop in Anantnag district. Police also recovered the body of another Muslim in northern Kupwara district overnight. "He had been abducted by militants two months ago," a spokesman said.

No group has claimed the four killings. Rebels often target people seen collaborating with Indian agencies. Meanwhile, several thousand villagers blocked Kashmir's main highway near Patan, 30 kilometres north of Srinagar, on Monday and held a noisy anti-government demonstration, police and witnesses said. -AFP