One dies in Kashmir after police fire on protesters

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - One person died on Saturday in Kashmir following an injury suffered after police opened fire to disperse stone-throwing demonstrators during a daylong protest strike over the arrest of a separatist leader. The unrest in the Himalayan region is a challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP, which this year took control of the state government in alliance with a regional partner, the first time it has been in power in the state. Police said around 24 people were injured in the clashes, and one of the three people injured after they opened fire died. "Unfortunately, the injured later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital," a police spokesman said. The strike paralyzed life in Kashmir, with shops and businesses shut and public transport at a standstill. Police fired tear gas and used a baton-charge to scatter hundreds of people who gathered after Friday prayers to protest against the arrest of separatist leader Masarat Alam on charges of sedition and waging war again India. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since a war after independence from Britain in 1947. The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two of their three wars over the territory. (Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by Ratnajyoti Dutta; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)