SRINAGAR: Two policemen were shot dead and another was wounded when suspected separatist militants attacked a patrol in Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, police said Tuesday.

It was the second major strike this month in Srinagar, the main hub of Muslim militants fighting Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region.

Shoukat Ahmad Shah, a Muslim cleric and moderate separatist, was killed on April 8 by an explosion outside a mosque in the city before the Friday prayers.

The latest attack took place on Monday night outside a police station on Srinagar’s outskirts, said an officer who declined to be named.

“Armed militants opened fire on policemen leaving for night patrol, killing two and injuring another,” he said.

Militant groups in Muslim-majority Kashmir have fought against New Delhi’s rule for more than two decades, often targeting police and soldiers.

Violence eased during the winter months but has increased as warmer temperatures make it easier for the rebels to travel, police say.

India accuses Pakistan of training and arming militants to fight its rule in Indian Kashmir. Pakistan denies the charge.

The region is split between the two countries along a UN-monitored line of control and has been the trigger for two of the three wars fought between the neighbours since independence in 1947.