SRINAGAR, India, August 25, SPA -- Soldiers and police fired at Muslimprotesters demanding an end to Indian rule in Kashmir asauthorities arrested top separatist leaders Monday in a bidto quash unrest that has left at least 37 people dead sinceJune, the Associated Press reported. The three latest deaths came late Sunday in Srinagar,Kashmir's main city, and Monday in a village on the city'soutskirts and a nearby town, when security forcesconfronted angry protesters defying a curfew in the Muslimheart of Jammu and Kashmir state. The state government said in a statement that soldiersopened fire Monday after they were shot at by protesters,who wounded two soldiers and two police. At least 15protesters were believed to have been wounded. There was no immediate reaction from the separatist groupsthat are organizing protests. There was more unrest Monday in Jammu, where police firedtear gas to disperse thousands of stone-throwing Hinduprotesters, police said. In an effort to head off Monday's protests, authoritiesarrested two prominent separatist leaders, Syed Ali ShahGeelani and Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, in pre-dawn raids, policesaid. Another separatist leader, Mohammed Yasin Malik, wasarrested later Monday for defying the curfew when he triedto march to the center of Srinagar. Police and soldiers were also out in force, patrolling onfoot and in armored vehicles. Before his arrest Farooq told The Associated Press thatthe detentions «will not deter our mission.»--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/584711