Gunmen opened fire in the direction of Ghulam Abbas, the brother of India's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, as he was walking near the town of Doda, 220km south of the summer capital Srinagar.

Abbas' bodyguard was injured and in serious condition but Abbas was unhurt, police said.

"The militants managed to escape from the scene," a police spokesman said.

Azad was head of the Kashmir branch of India's Congress party until becoming a minister when a Congress-led coalition won April-May national elections.

Separately, fierce fighting erupted late Monday when two militants being chased by troops sought refuge in a house in Sopore, 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Srinagar.