GUWAHATI
Two persons, including an Assam Rifles trooper, were injured during an exchange of fire in the Kharsang area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district on Friday night.
District officials said the incident occurred when Assam Rifles personnel responded to the sound of gunfire from a youth who was out hunting, mistaking him to be one of the extremists they were lying in wait for following a tip-off.
According to locals, the youth was one of three who had gone hunting with firearms and had fired at what they thought was an animal behind a bush in a forest near Pangchun village.
The youth, identified as Limong Lungri, was shot in the left leg during the exchange of fire, while an Assam Rifles trooper was hit in the chest. The latter was rushed to an Army base at Dinjan in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, where his condition was said to be serious.
Following the incident, locals surrounded the Assam Rifles camp at Kharsang and protested against the force. They also gathered at the Kharsang Police Station demanding action against paramilitary personnel.
Police said the situation in the area was tense but under control through the deployment of additional forces.
