Thirteen civilians were killed in the northeastern Indian state of Nagaland by security forces, who opened fire on a truck and then on a group of people protesting the incident, police said on Sunday.
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The shooting took place on Saturday in Oting, in the district of Mon, on the border with Burma.
“The situation in the whole Mon district is very tense right now. We have 13 confirmed deaths
,
”
said Sandeep M. Tamgadge of Nagaland Police. Six workers were killed on their way home by truck in the village of Oting, according to the policeman, in an ambush by security forces who believed they were dealing with a group of insurgents reported in the region.
Relatives of the victims, who went to search for them, discovered the bodies and went to the security forces to ask for explanations.
"It was then that a confrontation broke out between the two camps and members of the security forces opened fire, killing seven other people,"
said the police chief.
In a statement, the Indian army said the ambush was set on the basis of
"credible intelligence"
indicating the presence of an armed rebel group in the area. A member of the security forces was also killed and several others injured in the incident, she said.
"The cause of this regrettable loss of human life is being investigated at the highest level and appropriate measures will be taken in accordance with the law,"
the statement said. This statement does not specify whether the perpetrators of the shootings were part of the Indian army, or another police or paramilitary force.
Nagaland Prime Minister Neiphiu Rio appealed for calm and also announced an investigation into this
"highly condemnable"
incident
.
And the Indian Minister of the Interior, Amit Shah, has promised to
"bring justice to the bereaved families"
.
Nagaland and other states in the far east of India, a region linked to the rest of the country by a narrow corridor between Bangladesh and Nepal, have for decades been the scene of unrest perpetrated by various separatist and autonomist guerrillas as well as by armed tribal groups.
The insurgency has subsided in recent years as many groups have sealed peace deals with New Delhi, but a large Indian garrison remains stationed in the area.