SRINAGAR: Thousands of Muslims Sunday held protests against Indian rule in Kashmir after security forces shot dead six protesters in two days and beefed up security for India`s independence day.

Indian Kashmir`s summer capital Srinagar and other parts of the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley have recently been rocked by some of the biggest pro-independence protests in two years.

On Friday and Saturday, troops said they shot dead six protesters and bystanders during violent protests by rock-throwing Kashmiris. Residents accused the security forces of opening fire on peaceful demonstrators.

One of the young men killed on Saturday was from the southern town of Anantnag, where thousands of residents -- men, women and children alike -- held noisy night-long anti-India demonstrations, witnesses said.

They chanted slogans such as "Freedom for Kashmir" and "We will spill blood for blood." They have refused to bury the dead until the troops involved in the shooting are punished.

Night protests were also held in Narabal locality, on the outskirts of Srinagar, where a young man was also shot dead Saturday by security forces.

Police said security forces fired in retaliation after someone from the crowd shot at the troops with a hunting gun, but residents accused them of a "cover-up".

Critics say the security forces resort to live ammunition because they are poorly trained and unable to handle the unruly crowds.

India`s highest representative in Kashmir, governor N.N. Vohra has urged the security forces to "revisit their strategies and tactics of crowd control for securing maximum protection of human life."

The recent surge in anti-India protests, which began when a teenage student was killed by a police tear gas shell on June 11 in Srinagar, has brought Kashmir`s towns and cities to a standstill.

Security forces have been accused of killing 57 protesters and bystanders in the past two months and most of the victims have been young men and teenagers.

India has heightened security across Kashmir as the country celebrates its Independence Day on Sunday, marking the end of British rule in 1947.

Separatists view the anniversary as a "black day" and security is normally stricter than usual in Indian Kashmir, where Islamic militants have been fighting against New Delhi`s rule for two decades.

BDST: 1314 HRS, August 15, 2010