Guwahati, An Assam Rifles man and a civilian were injured in an exchange of fire in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the incident occurred in the Kharsang area. Kharsang is on the border with Assam.

The soldier, who sustained grievous bullet wounds, was rushed to the Dinjan military hospital in Assam’s Dibrugarh district. The injured civilian, who was hit in the leg and initially admitted to a local primary health centre, was shifted to a nearby hospital in Assam’s Tinsukia district.

Three local armed youth had set out for fishing and hunting at the Pangchun village forest. However, some Assam Rifles personnel were already deployed there following receipt of intelligence inputs that militants would pass through the area.

However, preliminary reports suggested that the youngsters had noticed some movement in the jungle. Thinking that there was some animal, they opened fire but injured one of the personnel in the process. The soldier immediately retaliated, thinking the shots came from the militants who they were lying in wait for. One of the youth was injured in the firing while the two others fled.

After the incident, a large number of locals gathered and staged a protest against the Assam Rifles.

Militants are active in Changlang, Tirap and Longding districts of eastern Arunachal. The region shares its border with Myanmar where some insurgent groups from the Northeast have their bases.