Manipur, India: 12-year-old Injured in Militant Shootout
2009-10-30 10:25
A shootout between army personnel and a militant group has injured a 12-year-old boy in India's northeastern Manipur state.
A paramilitary organization functioning under the control of the army, took on the militants coming in two gypsy vehicles and a mini truck.
The security personnel were on patrol to look for the six cadres of the Kuki militant group who hijacked a car in the village.
The boy was caught in the crossfire.
[K. Dhananjoy Singh, Police officer]:
"There was no casualty in part of our personnel. One 12-year old boy was hit with a bullet in thigh he was evacuated to hospital. …. Our police is now continuing (the shootout)."
Police, however, did not confirm if the militants in the shootout were of the Kuki group.
Security personnel escorted panicky villagers who were working in the paddy fields, where the shootout took place.
[Romita, Witness]:
"When I reached near the bridge in Lamlai village I heard sound of gun shots. The sound was like that of a car exploding."
Around two dozen militant groups have been fighting for almost four decades, demanding separate homelands or regional autonomy in India's northeast.
