Muslims take to streets as Kashmir protests continue

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SRINAGAR, Aug 14(Reuters): Protesters shouting "we want freedom" took to the streets of Kashmir on Thursday as a land dispute between Muslims and Hindus boiled into a litmus test of New Delhi's hold on the troubled Himalayan region.

The row pits Muslims in Kashmir against Hindus in Jammu -- the two main regions which make up the state of Jammu and Kashmir -- in what is one of the hardest challenges facing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government since it took office in 2004.

At least 23 people have been killed and over 500 injured in clashes between Muslim protesters and police this week, hospital records show.

The protests are some of the biggest since a separatist revolt against New Delhi broke out in the region 20 years ago.

The dispute over land allocated to Hindu pilgrims visiting a shrine in Kashmir has snowballed into a full-scale anti-India protest, uniting Kashmiri separatists and reviving calls for independence.

A curfew remained in force in many parts of the state, but the protests seemed not to have spread elsewhere.