Indian forces fired on protesters hurling stones at them in Indian-administered Kashmir on Monday, killing three people and wounding at least 17 other demonstrators, police said. For the last three months, the mostly Muslim Kashmir region has been roiled by demonstrations and clashes between protesters opposed to Indian rule and government forces. The deaths bring to 68 the number of people killed in the civil unrest.

Three people, including a 17-year-old boy, were killed when Indian forces fired live ammunition to disperse protesters in Palhalan, a village north of Srinagar, said a police officer. Local residents said there was no clash with the troops, but soldiers fired when the protesters refused to disperse. The state government has ordered a probe into the shooting incident. “A clash had occurred near a highway in the morning and much after that we were peacefully protesting in the village,” said resident Merajuddin.

Later, as news of the shooting spread, thousands of people from Palhalan and neighboring villages chanting “Go India, go back” and “We want freedom” marched to a nearby highway and blocked it. Police and paramilitary soldiers fired warning shots and tear gas to quell those protests, said the officer. There were no reports of injuries.