The two men and one woman died when security personnel opened fire to contain angry separatist demonstrations that have been fueled by the deaths of several protesters over the last month.

Curfew orders have been widely ignored in recent days, and the presence of the Indian army was seen as a show of force designed to end the increasingly violent protests.

“We have staged a flag march on one of the key roads in Srinagar and we are ready to assist the state government whenever and wherever required,” Indian army spokesman J.S. Brar said.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, has been the focus of protests since June 11, when a 17-year-old student died from a police tear gas shell. The three deaths on Tuesday also occurred in Srinagar.

“In order to save human lives we had to request the army’s help,” senior state minister Ali Mohammed Sagar said. “The move is aimed at controlling the situation.”

Indian police and paramilitary forces, who have been struggling to control the wave of protests in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, have been accused of killing 15 civilians in less than a month.

Each death has sparked a new cycle of violence despite appeals for calm from state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The Cabinet committee on security, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met in New Delhi to discuss the surge of tension in Kashmir, and Home Secretary G.K. Pillai flew to the region to assess law and order.

Police said Srinagar and six other towns were under strict curfew. “The step has been taken to prevent protests,” Zubair Ahmed, a police officer in Baramulla town, said.

Police and paramilitary forces sealed off neighborhoods of Srinagar that had previously been unaffected by the restrictions. “This area has been placed under a very strict curfew for the first time in many years,” said Mohammed Amin, a 72-year old from Sonawar district.

In areas where the curfew was not in force, defiant protesters returned to the streets and were involved in fresh clashes with security personnel.

Police fired warning shots and released tear gas in at least three places but there were no reports of injuries. Most streets in Srinagar and other towns in the Kashmir valley were empty as schools, shops and offices remained closed.

— With input from agencies