Officials say at least four people were killed in India's remote Himalayan territory of Ladakh on Wednesday, following clashes between police and protesters.

Police said dozens were injured in the clashes, as hundreds of people took to the streets to demand greater autonomy for the northernmost territory.

What local authorities say happened

India's Ministry of Home Affairs said demonstrations were triggered by "provocative" speeches by activist Sonam Wangchuck, who has been on hunger strike since September 10.

According to the ministry, a political party office was attacked, during which a senior councillor's office was set on fire.

Officials said a police vehicle was also torched and that more than 30 police and personnel were injured.

"In self-defense, police had to resort to firing in which unfortunately some casualties are reported," the statement added.

In the aftermath, authorities reportedly imposed restrictions on gatherings, banning assemblies of more than four people.

Indian media showed an abandoned police vehicle engulfed in flames, while local media reported some young protesters threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas to disperse them.

Ladakh's lieutenant governor, Kavinder Gupta, called for an end to violence and restoration of peace in a video message circulated by his office.

Why are people protesting?

Ladakh is a high-altitude desert region home to some 300,000 people, bordering both China and Pakistan.

The territory lost its autonomy in 2019, as it was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir state by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and placed under the direct administration of New Delhi.

Roughly half of Ladakh's residents are Muslim, while some 40% are Buddhist.

Protesters are demanding statehood for the federal territory, job quotas for local residents, and also for Ladakh to be given special status that would allow the creation of elected local bodies to protect its tribal areas.

The demonstrations were called in solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike for two weeks.

"Social unrest arises when you keep young people unemployed and deprive them of their democratic rights," Wangchuk said, in a statement posted on social media.

Edited by: Kieran Burke