Security tight after deadly Ladakh protests

Indian police patrolled the northern city of Leh on Thursday, a day after protests demanding greater autonomy for the disputed territory of Ladakh turned deadly when security forces opened fire.

At least five people were killed, 30 police officers were injured and several more protesters wounded.

The city -- usually bustling with tourists -- appeared deserted, with most main roads blocked by coils of razor wire and guarded by police in riot gear, an AFP reporter said.

Protests erupted on Wednesday, with crowds demanding greater autonomy in the sparsely populated, high-altitude desert region that is home to some 300,000 people and which borders China and Pakistan.

India's Ministry of Home Affairs said that an "unruly mob" had attacked police, reporting in a statement issued late on Wednesday that "more than 30" officers were injured.

Protesters torched a police vehicle and the offices of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while officers fired tear gas and used batons to disperse crowds.

"In self-defence, police had to resort to firing, in which unfortunately some casualties are reported," the statement said.

It did not give any details about deaths.

However, a police officer told AFP that "five deaths were reported after the protests". The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to journalists.

He said the "number of injured is in the dozens".

A police unit guarded the vandalised BJP office on Thursday, alongside the wreckage of a burned armoured vehicle.

Around half of Ladakh's residents are Muslim and about 40 percent are Buddhist.

It is classed as a "Union Territory" -- meaning it elects lawmakers to India's parliament but is governed directly by New Delhi.