SRINAGAR: Suspected militants have shot dead three people in Indian-administered Kashmir, including a mother and her teenage daughter, a police statement said Monday.

It said four masked militants barged into a house in southern Kulgam district late Sunday evening and shot dead a 40-year old woman and her 19-year old daughter.

"This action of militants has evoked resentment among the people of the area," the statement said.

In the neighbouring Pulwama district, police said around the same time suspected militants shot dead a male government employee.

"The people of the area have protested against the killing in the holy month of Ramadan," the statement said.

Militants often target people affiliated with pro-India political parties or whom they suspect of working as informers for the Indian troops.

Police said the motive behind the three killings was not immediately known.

Indian-administered Kashmir has been the scene of a bitter Muslim insurgency since 1989 that has left more than 47,000 people dead, according to an official count.

In the past, the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which began August 12, has seen increased violence in Kashmir, as militants believe those who die fighting during the Ramadan period will be specially rewarded.

Rebels want to secede Kashmir from India and join it with neighbouring Pakistan or carve out an independent state.

BDST: 1334 HRS, August 23, 2010