Killing provokes Kashmir protests

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There have been violent protests in Indian-administered Kashmir, one day after a 15-year-old boy was killed by a police tear gas shell.

Protesters clashed with police in the town of Srinagar, throwing rocks and shouting anti-India slogans.

Huge crowds gathered at the home of the boy before his body was carried through the town in a funeral procession.

Correspondents say there are frequent clashes between police and anti-India protesters in the region.

But violence across Indian-administered Kashmir has declined significantly in recent years, officials say.

Officer suspended

The boy was killed after police fired tear gas shells to disperse people protesting against Indian rule on Sunday.

One shell hit his head and he later died in hospital.

A senior police official in Srinagar said that the officer who fired the tear gas on Sunday had been suspended.

"Preliminary investigation suggests that it was a callous and irresponsible action on the part of the officer," Hemant Lohia told the Associated Press news agency.

"Further action will be taken once the investigation is completed," he said.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the Muslim majority valley.

Both India and Pakistan claim sovereignty over Kashmir and have fought two wars over it.