Voters head to polls in Kashmir for state election

Voters headed to the polls in dozens of towns in Indian Kashmir on Wednesday as security forces lined the roads and Muslim protesters boycotted the elections.

Muslim separatist leaders have called on local residents to resist voting in Jammu-Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, saying it will only strengthen India's hold on the disputed Himalayan region. Some have been detained in recent months under a law that allows police to hold people for up to two years without trial.

Thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police officers carrying automatic weapons patrolled polling places across the state.

The elections, which began Nov. 17, are …