Indian police have arrested more than 10,000 protesters in the Indian-administered�Kashmir as the government continues its crackdown to stem violent protests in the Himalayan region.

Inspector-General Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani said Monday that the arrests have been made over the course of the past�two weeks, saying 57 people, including two policemen have been killed across Kashmir.

He added that thousands have been injured in clashes between police and protesters.

A curfew was imposed across Kashmir since protests began over the death of a key militant commander on July 8. The demonstrations, some of them unprecedented in size and scope, have forced the government to intensify the crackdown.

Opposition lawmakers in the capital New Delhi voiced concerns on Monday about the deteriorating security situation in Kashmir. Some of them demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take political steps to defuse the crisis, saying silence would not be any answer to the surging violence.

The Indian army confirmed on Monday that three persons were killed in a gun battle near the de facto borderline known as the Line of Control.

Tens of thousands of people have died in Kashmir since the late 1980s when the armed rebellion against the Indian rule over the territory began.

Since India and Pakistan won independence from British rule in 1947, the rivaling neighbors have been claiming the region in full but have partial control over it.

India controls two-thirds of Kashmir while the remaining one-third is under the Pakistani rule.

India often blames Pakistan for "rebel" attacks in the region, accusing Islamabad of giving arms to pro-independence fighters and sending them across the borderline to launch attacks on Indian forces.

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers deployed in the restive territory.

By Press TV