NEW DELHI — In a horrific incident, 13 villagers were shot and killed by army, who thought the villagers were “militants” in Nagaland.
The incident took place in and around Oting village in Mon district during a counterinsurgency operation conducted by members of the Assam Rifles, a part of Indian security forces deployment in the state, a senior police official based in Nagaland said.
Firing began when a truck carrying 30 or more coal-mine labourers was passing the Assam Rifles camp
“The troopers had intelligence inputs about some militant movement in the area and on seeing the truck they mistook the miners to be rebels and opened fire killing six labourers,” the senior police official told Reuters.
“After the news of firing spread in the village, hundreds of tribal people surrounded the camp. They burned Assam Rifles vehicles and clashed with the troopers using crude weapons,” he said.
Members of the Assam Rifles retaliated, and in the second attack eight more civilians and a security member were among those killed, the official said.
Nagaland’s chief minister Neiphiu Rio told Reuters news agency a probe will be conducted and punishment meted out to guilty parties in the incident, which he ascribed to intelligence failure.
“The unfortunate incident leading to the killing of civilians at Oting is highly condemnable,” he tweeted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah too expressed his deepest condolences to those who lost their lives and informed of the high level SIT which would constitute be constituted by the state to probe the incident.