6 killed in fresh Kashmir shoot-outs

"A Sikh policeman posted near the shrine of Hazratbal was shot dead from point blank by suspected militants," a spokesman said.

None of the dozen rebel groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir claimed responsibility for the shooting that sparked panic near the Hazratbal mosque in the summer capital Srinagar. It houses a whisker which Muslims believe comes from the Prophet Mohammed's beard.

The relic is shown to devotees on important days of the Islamic calander and was scheduled to be displayed Wednesday, the anniversary of the death of an early disciple of the Prophet.