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Mourners put wreaths on coffins of Indians 'mistakenly' killed by security forces

India held funeral rites for 14 civilians "mistakenly" killed by security forces in the northeastern state of Nagaland, amid intense security and sporadic internet outages aimed at dampening fresh unrest in the remote region. The funeral of a soldier killed in riots was also held.

Security and government officials have said 14 members of the region's predominant Konyak tribe and one security trooper were killed on Saturday after the forces in the border state mistook a group of laborers for militants and opened fire.

Another of the tribe was killed during protests on Sunday over the military action, which has prompted the government to launch an inquiry, while police and officials ramped up patrols ahead of the last rites.

Hundreds of mourners laid wreaths on the coffins of the dead, lined up on a public playground, as the state's chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, led a mass funeral service in the district of Mon, the site of the incident.

Feelings over the incident are rising in Nagaland, where people have frequently accused security forces of wrongly targeting innocent locals in counterinsurgency operations against rebel groups under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. 

(Source: Reuters) 


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