Eight people have been killed and scores injured after police clashed with protesters during a by-election in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Paramilitary forces fired bullets and shotgun pellets as people protesting against Indian rule stormed polling stations near Srinagar on Sunday.

Separatist leaders had called for a boycott of the vote.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old territorial dispute between India and Pakistan.

India accuses Pakistan of supporting separatist sentiment in Kashmir, but Islamabad denies this. Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety and control different parts of it.

The region has seen heightened tension and increased unrest since July last year when influential militant Burhan Wani was killed by Indian forces.

Reports said the voter turnout in Sunday's election was a mere 7% - the lowest in three decades.

Two schools were set on fire by unknown protesters, The Times of India reported.

Security was tightened on Monday across the region - roads were blocked with barricades and some train services were also suspended.