Press TV - Fresh clashes have erupted in the Indian-controlled Kashmir overnight, leaving at least seven fighters and a member of Indian security forces dead.  

Indian forces cordoned off a neighborhood in the suburbs of southern Shopian town overnight Friday. The move led to an exchange of fire in the area.

The fighting triggered protests in the disputed region on Saturday, according to officials.

In another incident on the same day, security guards shot dead a young man after he allegedly forced his entry into the residence of Farooq Abdullah— India's Member of Parliament and Kashmir's former top elected official, police officer S.P. Vaid said.

He said the man, who was unarmed, crashed his car into the residence in southern Jammu city.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="550"] Kashmiri people protest against Indian rule in Srinagar on August 2, 2018. (AFP)[/caption]

The man's family, however, rejected the police version of the incident, calling for an independent investigation into his death.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their partition and independence from Britain in 1947. The disputed region is claimed in full by both sides, which have fought three wars over it.

Despite a ceasefire agreement that was reached between India and Pakistan in November 2003, sporadic skirmishes continue in Kashmir.

Armed battles between Indian forces and militants over the years have killed nearly 70,000 people, mostly civilians.

Kashmiris have been demanding that the region be given independence or be merged with Pakistan.