SRINAGAR: Police say a couple in their late 70s was injured in firing by Indian forces who have intensified nocturnal raids to arrest protesters in India's portion of Kashmir.

Police say the husband and wife were injured by pellets from a shotgun on Friday night as they tried to resist a police party looking for one of their sons for allegedly leading anti-India protests in the Tral area.

A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy said the raiding party "accidently fired" at the couple and "regretted" the incident.

A security lockdown and protest strikes have shut the Indian portion of Kashmir since the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8 sparked some of Kashmir's largest protests against Indian rule in recent years.