Riots in rural India after army kills civilians

VILLAGERS have rioted after Indian soldiers killed more than a dozen civilians they mistook for militants near the border with Myanmar.

The incident took place in Nagaland state during a counter-insurgency operation on Saturday, when soldiers reportedly opened fire on a truck carrying around 30 coal-mine workers as it passed their camp.

“The troopers had intelligence inputs about some militant movement in the area and on seeing the truck they mis- took the miners to be rebels and opened fire, killing six labourers,” a senior police official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

As irate villagers surrounded the camp and set fire to two army vehicles, the soldiers fired at them again, killing nine more people, the officer said.

One soldier was also killed in the clash with protesters, he added. An Indian army statement said it “deeply regretted” the incident and its aftermath, adding that “the cause of the unfortunate loss of lives is being investigated at the highest level and appropriate action will be taken as per the course of law”.

Insurgents often cross into Myanmar after attacking Indian government forces in the area and the army statement said “credible intelligence” had indicated that a “specific operation was planned”.

Government forces are battling dozens of ethnic insurgent groups in India’s remote northeast, whose demands range from independent homelands to maximum autonomy within India. But locals in Nagaland frequently accuse forces of wrongly targeting civilians during their operations against the rebel groups.

India’s home minister, Amit Shah, expressed anguish over the “unfortunate incident” and said the state government would investigate the killings.