SRINAGAR, India, April 20 (Reuters) - Four policemen were among at least 10 people killed in firefights across Kashmir, police said on Monday, just days ahead of another round of voting in India's general election.

Two security force personnel a militant and a woman were killed during a fierce gun battle in south Kashmir's Doda district late on Sunday, police said.

Elsewhere two policemen, two militants and two civilians were killed in violence on Monday, they added.

Indian security officials say violence and infiltration in Kashmir has increased in recent weeks, despite thick snow on mountain passes on Kashmir border.

For security reasons, voting has been staggered over five phases in Kashmir, where separatist militants have called for a boycott. They say New Delhi is trying to boost the legitimacy of its rule in the region by holding elections.

India's general election is being held between April 16 and May 13.

State polls in the troubled Himalayan region last year had a turnout of more than 60 percent, though many saw it as a vote for better governance rather than acceptance of Indian rule.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the disputed region since an anti-India insurgency broke out in 1989.

But violence involving Indian troops and Muslim militants, has declined significantly since India and Pakistan launched a peace process in 2004.

New Delhi paused that dialogue after the Mumbai attacks last November, when 10 gunmen rampaged through India's business capital, killing almost 170 people. (Reporting by Sheikh Mushtaq; Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Jon Boyle)

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