Русская версияA strike called by Muslim separatists who want an end to Indian rule has paralysed Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Shops, banks, schools and most government offices throughout the Kashmir valley stayed closed, and there was very little traffic on the roads.
The three-day strike comes a day after a huge separatist rally and violence in which 15 were killed in a gun battle.
The strikers want a referendum which they hope will lead to self-determination for people of the region.
On Friday, hundreds of thousands of Muslims took part in a protest rally called by separatist leaders in Indian-controlled Kashmir's main city, Srinagar.
The death toll from an overnight gun battle with militants near the Line of Control - the de facto border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan - rose to 15, the army said.
"The fighting that is still raging has so far left 12 militants and three soldiers dead, including a colonel," Indian army spokesman Lt Col Anil Kumar Mathur told AFP news agency.
Three soldiers were critically wounded during the battle, the fiercest this year in Kashmir, he added.
Hindu shrine
Anti-Indian sentiment has grown following a dispute over the granting of land to a Hindu shrine organisation.
More than 21 people died last week in the valley after police fired on protesters.
Trouble began two months ago when the state government granted a small piece of land to a trust running the Amarnath Hindu shrine.
Muslims launched violent protests, saying the allocation of land was aimed at altering the demographic balance in the area.
The state government said the shrine board needed the land to erect huts and toilets for visiting pilgrims.
But following days of protests, the government rescinded the order, prompting Hindu groups to mount violent protests of their own.
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(BBC)
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