Indian villagers protest, set fire to army vehicles after troops mistakenly kill 14 civilians
- Nagaland state’s top elected official Neiphiu Rio ordered an investigation probe into the killings after Indian forces mistook a group of labourers for militants
- Locals in Nagaland have frequently accused forces of wrongly targeting innocent locals in their counter-insurgency operations against rebel groups
Protesters threw stones and set fire to areas around a camp belonging to Indian forces in the remote northeast, with one civilian shot dead in renewed violence a day after 14 people were killed by defence forces, officials said on Sunday.
At least 14 civilians and one member of the security forces were killed in Nagaland state on Saturday night, after Indian forces mistook a group of labourers for militants and opened fire.
More than a dozen civilians and some members of the security forces were also wounded in the incident and violence that followed, said a federal defence ministry official based in New Delhi.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he was “anguished” at the news of civilians, who were members of a local tribal group, being killed.
Nagaland’s chief minister Neiphiu Rio said an investigation would be conducted and the guilty punished. He said the incident was the result of an intelligence failure.