Police opened fire after residents in Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir, attacked them with stones, an officer said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
However, local resident Hanief Ahmed said the shooting was unprovoked and officers targeted a group of men playing a board game outside. "There was no protest and police fired at them without any reason," Ahmed told The Associated Press.
Hundreds of people defied a curfew in Srinagar to demonstrate against Monday's shooting, chanting "Go India! Go back" and "We want freedom." Police also fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has questioned crowd-control tactics employed by security forces in Kashmir and ordered officials to use non-lethal measures to control demonstrations.
The protests in Kashmir have to be dealt with using "non-lethal, yet effective and more focused measures," Singh said last week.
Security forces also fired tear gas and warning shots in the air Monday in the southern town of Anantnag, where hundreds of residents held anti-India protests and clashed with police, the officer said. There were no reports of casualties.
Thousands of Kashmiri Muslims peacefully protested against Indian rule at several other places in the region after noon prayers at mosques. Protesters reject Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and want to form a separate country, or merge with Pakistan.
