2 villagers ‘mistakenly’ shot at by Army in Tirap

ITANAGAR / DIBRUGARH:

Two civilians were “mistakenly” shot at by the Army in Tirap district of Arunachal, sources said on Saturday. The incident happened at Chasa village on Friday evening when the two villagers, Nokphya Wangdan, 28, and Ramwang Wangsu, 23, were returning home after fishing in a river, sources said.

The incident comes months after 14 people were shot dead by the Army in a botched anti-militancy operation in neighbouring Nagaland’s Mon district, around 150 km from Tirap. The incident, which happened on December

4-5, had triggered widespread protests, demanding the withdrawal of AFSPA. The two wounded villagers were sent to the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh by the Army, the sources said. “There was credible information about the movement of armed rebels and an ambush was laid by the special forces,” an Army source said.

It was a case of mistaken identity, the source said.

AMCH superintendent Dr Prasanta Dihingia said one of the injured was hit by a bullet in the ulna of his hand, while the other's bullet injury was on the toe. Both are currently out of danger, he said. A villager, who accompanied the injured persons to the hospital, told reporters, “Both are orphans. Now, one’s hand is injured and another’s leg is wounded. The government will have to do something for them.”

The BJP president of Tirap district, Kamrang Tesia, said instead of ensuring the security of the locals, the “senseless act” of the security forces without proper intelligence was leading to the loss of their credibility.