By Sheikh Mushtaq

SRINAGAR, India, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Authorities tentatively relaxed a four-day curfew in Indian Kashmir on Thursday to allow people to buy essentials as residents ran short of food during massive protests against Indian rule.

At least 30 protesters have been killed by government forces over the past three weeks in some of the biggest pro-independence demonstrations since a revolt against New Delhi's rule broke out in Kashmir in 1989. More than 600 have been injured.

In Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, people swarmed grocery shops as authorities relaxed a curfew for more than an hour. The curfew was briefly relaxed at different times in different areas across much of the Kashmir Valley.

The latest deaths occurred on Wednesday when troops shot protesters who police said defied a curfew and shouted pro-independence slogans. Two protesters were killed and more than a dozen wounded.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on Wednesday for the India government to show restraint and called for a probe into the recent killings.

"OHCHR calls on the Indian authorities and in particular security forces to respect the right to freedom of assembly and expression, and comply with international human rights principles in controlling the demonstrators," the OHCHR said in a statement.

First sparked by a row over land over a Hindu shrine, the protests quickly transformed into rallies that galvanised pro-separatist groups after years of relative calm in the region.

The crisis has strained relations between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full but rule in parts, damaging a tentative peace process and raising fears Kashmir could again become a hotspot between the two nuclear rivals.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir since the armed revolt against New Delhi's rule broke out, but levels of violence had been falling in the past few years after the tentative peace process between India and Pakistan.

"EXCESSIVE FORCE"

Indian troops have been criticised by Kashmiris and human rights groups for using excessive force, with reports that they have attacked journalists and ambulance drivers.

Authorities have blocked four local television news channels from broadcasting since Sunday and none of more than a dozen local newspapers have been able to publish for the past five days.

"They have stopped newspapers, local television and starved us," Mukhtar Ahmad, a carpet trader said. "They can't hold us at gun point for long."

Police have also detained four senior separatist leaders since Monday to defuse protests and raided the homes of dozens of others.

"Already reeling under the impact of an economic blockade the curfew has further accentuated the conditions and a humanitarian disaster is staring at our faces," Sajad Lone, a separatist leader, said in a statement.

The crisis began after the Kashmir government promised to give forest land to a Hindu trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by Hindu pilgrims. Many Muslims were enraged.

The government then rescinded its decision, which in turn angered Hindus in Jammu who attacked lorries carrying supplies to Kashmir Valley and blocked the region's highway, the only surface link with the rest of India.

Challenging the blockade, Kashmiris took to the streets. (Editing by Alistair Scrutton) (For the latest Reuters news on India see: in.reuters.com, for blogs see blogs.reuters.com/in/)

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