GAUHATI, India (AP) – Annoyed villagers set fire to army vehicles in protest after soldiers killed 13 people they mistook for rebels in a remote region of the northeast of the country near the border with Myanmar, authorities said Sunday. .
Nagaland State’s highest-ranking elected official, Neiphiu Rio, ordered an investigation into the massacre, which occurred on Saturday.
“The unfortunate incident that led to the massacre of civilians in Oting is highly reprehensible,” Rio tweeted.
An Army official said that the soldiers opened fire on a vehicle after receiving information about a rebel movement in the area, killing six people. Soldiers later shot upset villagers who were burning two military vehicles, killing nine others, said the officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to raise the issue with the press.
A soldier also lost his life in the confrontation with the protesters, he said.
The Army issued a statement in which it stated that it “deeply regrets” the incident and its consequences, adding that “the cause of this unfortunate loss of life is being investigated at the highest level and appropriate measures will be taken under the law.”
The statement added that “credible information” from insurgent movements indicated that “a specific operation was planned in the Mon district of Nagaland.
Insurgents often cross into Myanmar after attacking Indian government forces in that remote area.
Nyamtow Konyak, a local community leader, said that some of the victims were coal miners.
Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah expressed frustration with the “unfortunate incident” and noted that the state government will investigate the events.
The army official said the soldiers had mounted an ambush for a week after receiving information from insurgents planning to attack soldiers in the area, located 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Guahati, the capital of the state of Assam.
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