Kashmir riots ahead of poll

Kashmiri protesters burn tires and newspapers during a protest in Srinagar

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- Indian police have fired tear gas and clashed with a large crowd of protesters in Kashmir on the last day of full campaigning as controversial state elections near.

Police said they fired several rounds of tear gas after 1,000 demonstrators -- who had gathered in the streets of downtown Srinagar to mourn the killing of two youths by security forces overnight -- turned violent.

The protesters -- who blame security forces for killing the two men in cold blood -- tore down election banners and shouted anti-India slogans as they clashed with police.

Witnesses say police beat some of the marchers, although no casualties were reported.

Security forces have ordered an inquiry, and say the two men were suspected militants and were shot as they attempted to escape from police custody.

The violence comes before elections that begin Monday on the Indian-side of the Line of Control that separates the disputed state of Kashmir.

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The campaign has been marred by violence, highlighted by the assassination of a prominent candidate this week. Militants are vowing to disrupt the polls and kill anyone who participates.

In the past ten days, 50 civilians, more than 20 political activists and two candidates have been murdered in a frenzy of violence.

Funeral shootout

On Thursday, four Indian soldiers were wounded when suspected militants opened fire near the funeral of Kashmir's assassinated law minister, Mushtak Ahmad Lone.

Lone was killed by a gunman disguised as a woman at a Wednesday rally, the second candidate to be killed in the run-up to elections in Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-dominated state.

Police have blamed militants for Lone's death but some local residents point to political rivalries.

Lone's murder has cast a shadow of fear over these elections, with many lesser-known politicians deeply concerned about their safety.

Disillusionment with life under Indian control and the recent spurt of violence appear set to take their toll on the number of voters.

Boycott call

The main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, has urged a poll boycott although one of the candidates who was to face Lone resigned only weeks ago from one of its constituent parties to stand as an independent.

In a move which Indian analysts have said could spark more militant attacks, Pakistan's leader General Pervez Musharraf said in an address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday that New Delhi was preparing to rig the poll and said it would not help peace.

India, for its part, blames Pakistan for stoking insurgency in a region that has already been the subject of two wars between the nuclear neighbors.

The militant ploy of intimidation seems to be working. Some politicians are too scared to even solicit votes. Those that do ensure they are not recognized.

Candidate Mohammed Shafi Bhatt is always shadowed by his bodyguards.

"There is fear in the hearts and minds of people. Holding polls in such a situation is a mistake in itself,'' he says.

Tired

Angry Kashmiri mourners shout anti-India slogans during the funeral procession of a slain Kashmiri Muslim youth

Voters too, are cautious. Mohammed Yousef Shah, a retired teacher in Sogam is tired of all the conflict, which sees residents confined to their homes every night from around six o'clock.

"Everyone teases us...India says Kashmir is part of India. Pakistan says Kashmir is 'ours.' We are between, we are suffering."

But Abdul Majeed Majeed Malik, who runs an electronics business and who was among mourners at Lone's house, sees the act of voting as an important one.

"It is a message to militants, we want to stop this killing in every place in the world killing is not good. Problems are solved at the table not with the gun."

Fear of suicide bombers

India has launched a massive security operation to try and prevent disruption to polls it hopes will bolster the legitimacy of a rule that has been the subject of 13 years of insurgency.

All officials at polling stations are being equipped with bullet-proof vests and helmets, and to provide a semblance of order, the Indian army is patrolling and securing areas close to hundreds of voting stations.

The Indian army says it is expecting militants to launch rocket attacks at voting station, while senior officers have said that roads are likely to be mined.

Mourners pass by Indian army soldiers prior to Lone's funeral

But voters say they are most frightened about the possibility of attacks by squads of suicide bombers.

The climate of uncertainty is so pervasive that India's opposition leader Sonia Gandhi has just cancelled a whistle-stop campaign tour.

India controls a little under half of Kashmir, Pakistan about a third and China the rest.

Voting for the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir state assembly is being staggered across four days, ending on October 8.

-- Joanna Nathan and CNN's Satinder Bindra contributed to this report