Indian army marches through Kashmir's Kishtwar

Violence reportedly erupted after Hindus objected to Muslims chanting anti-India slogans after prayers

Indian army soldiers have marched through Kishtwar in Indian-administered Kashmir in a show of force to discourage protests.

A curfew is in force in the town after clashes between Muslims and Hindus left three dead and 20 injured on Friday.

The violence reportedly erupted after Hindus objected to Muslims chanting anti-India slogans after prayers.

Tensions have run high since five Indian soldiers were killed on Tuesday close to the Line of Control.

Kashmir is claimed by both countries and has been a flashpoint for conflict for more than 60 years India and Pakistan agreed a ceasefire along the Line of Control, which divides the region, in November 2003.

But both sides have blamed each other for occasional firing across the line which has resulted in several soldiers and civilians being killed or wounded.

Curfew extended

Troops marched through Kishtwar, around 200km (120 miles) southeast of the region's main city Srinagar, to enforce a fourth day of curfew.

Police are also making announcements on loudspeakers urging residents to keep peace, the BBC's Riyaz Masroor in Srinagar reports.

Several shops, two hotels and a gas station were set on fire in Friday's unrest, which saw Hindus and Muslims attack each other with firearms, stones and sticks.

Two people died and the body of a third man was recovered from the area on Sunday.

The curfew has been extended to eight other districts in the Jammu region after incidents of arson and violence, according to reports.

On Sunday, a leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was detained at Srinagar airport and not allowed to proceed to Kishtwar.

Reports say that authorities told Arun Jaitley that the government was not allowing politicians to visit the affected area.

The BJP said the move to disallow politicians to enter Kishtwar was "undemocratic".

The Chief Minister of Indian-administered Kashmir Omar Abdullah said he had ordered a judicial investigation into the violence to "establish the facts and share them publicly".

Meanwhile, Indian officials have blamed the Pakistani army for Tuesday's attack on Indian soldiers, an accusation which Pakistan vehemently denied.

India's Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid has said Pakistan should take responsibility for the incident.

"The responsibility must rest with the government. Our meeting point is the civilian elected government of Pakistan, not the Pakistan Army or any other agency," he said in an interview to a news channel.

Thousands of people have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir since a revolt against Indian rule erupted in 1989.