IMPHAL, December 11: A 12-year old boy was hit by a bullet when unidentified miscreants numbering around 5-6 fired shots during an altercation resulting out of their attempt to pick up a local man.
The incident occurred this morning around 11 at Beaulahram Village under Tengnoupal Police Station in Chandel district.
The boy is presently undergoing treatment at Shija Hospitals and Research Institute. A late night report said a projectile has been removed from the boy and he is out of danger at the moment.
Sources said the perpetrators include Manipuri speaking persons and that all of them were in civvies.
The boy hit by a bullet on the abdomen is identified as M Edwin Maring son of Jacob Maring from the village.
He was standing inside their kitchen when the bullet pierced the house wall and hit him.
Soon after he was hit by the bullet, the boy was rushed to Jiban Hospital in Kakching, however as the bullet was found to be lodged inside his body and as his condition deteriorated he was rushed to the Shija hospital in an ambulance of the Jiban Hospital around 1:30pm.
According to a written report submitted to the Tengnoupal Police Station officer in charge regarding the incident, the perpetrators numbering 5-6 came in an Alto car bearing registration number MN06H 3642 and a Yamaha FZ motorcycle bearing registration no. MN 06/SA-9426.
It is said that the perpetrators had tried to pull up one Ch Bronson of the locality, which was opposed by womenfolk and other locals citing that Bronson was a civilian.
In the following altercation, the perpetrators suddenly fired shots, during which a bullet hit the boy.
They then forcibly took away Bronson, it said.
On the other hand, an unofficial report said that the perpetrators were personnel of the Assam Rifles and had come to pick up Bronson who is a NSCN (K) cadre and had served an extortion demand to a wholesale supplier from Pallel.
During the AR operation, the personnel got into a scuffle resulting in the firing of shots. An AR personnel identified only as Naba was also hit by a bullet on his soldier and was shifted to the Leimakhong Military Hospital, according to the unofficial report.
It said a 12-year old boy identified to be the son of 15 Assam Regiment personnel of the Indian Army was also hit by a bullet.
The report also said that the AR team had picked up three persons involved in the alleged extortion threat including Bronson.