The security forces fired Thursday on demonstrators protesting against the alleged desecration of the Koran during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by Indian troopers during a search operation. Some 37 people were also injured.

Indian authorities subsequently imposed a curfew on the main areas of the Kashmir valley.

But on Friday, a further 59 people, including 49 police and federal paramilitary personnel, were hurt in clashes between government forces and protesters in dozens of places, police said.

The curfew will likely remain till at least Sunday, Indian officials said. Separatist leaders opposed to Indian rule of the territory had called for a three-day shutdown following the killings by Border Security Force troopers.

"Restrictions on the movement of people will be there for at least three days until the strike is over," Ashok Prasad, director-general of police, told CNS, a local news agency, late Friday.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian held Kashmir, looked like a city under seige with hundreds of police and paramilitary troops dotting the streets.

Main roads were blocked with coils of razor wire to discourage demonstrations. Banks, shops, schools and most government offices remained closed for a second straight day while university and school exams were put off indefinitely.

Pakistan reacted sharply to the alleged desecration of Koran and the killings "Such incidents incite violence and hurt the sentiments of Muslims not only in Pakistan but all over the world," the government said Friday, calling for a "thorough investigation" and punishment of the guilty.

Some dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for independence or for the merger of the territory with Pakistan.