SRINAGAR, June 25: A fire destroyed a revered Muslim shrine here on Monday prompting anti-India protests by Kashmiris angered over what they said was a slow response by firefighters.

At least 30 protesters and 10 policemen were injured in clashes, police said. Shops and businesses remained closed.

The cause of the fire at the 350-year-old shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani in the heart of 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, popularly known worldwide as Ghaus-i-Azam, is buried in Baghdad. The shrine in Srinagar, which held his relics, has served as an important centre of spiritual teachings in Kashmir. “The holy relics are safe and have been retrieved,” the officer said.

Police and paramilitary soldiers laid razor 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 and burned a fire truck, saying their response was slow. Thousands of people later crowded nearby streets, chanting anti-India slogans and demanding Kashmir’s freedom from Indian occupation.

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

Authorities appealed for calm and ordered a probe into the fire. “It’s an unfortunate incident. The probe will be completed within a few days,” Law Minister Ali Mohammed Sagar told reporters in Srinagar. —AP