A Muslim cleric was shot at and seriously injured by masked gunmen in uniform in Rajbagh area of Srinagar [Images], sparking massive protests by residents who accused personnel of the nearby Central Reserve Police Force camp of the crime.

Mohammed Altaf Shah, an Imam of Usmania mosque at Pathan Bagh in the area was shot at and critically injured inside the mosque after the taraweeh prayers on Thursday night, officials said.

They said Shah, a resident of Baramulla who stayed at the mosque, was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him out of danger.

However, local residents took to the streets alleging that personnel of the nearby CRPF camp had shot Shah for not switching off the public address system.

They clashed with riot police who used tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to disperse them.

The agitated residents alleged that the personnel did not like the chanting of special prayers inside the mosque late in the night and before daybreak during Ramadan.