Meghalaya DSP Polster Syiem after he was injured on Saturday. File picture

Shillong, Nov. 10: Assam has sought a report of Saturday’s incident along the inter-state border when its police “mistakenly” fired at a police team from West Jaintia Hills district, injuring a deputy superintendent of police, hours after Meghalaya had sharply reacted to the incident.

Last evening, a first information report (FIR) was lodged by the in-charge of Raliang police outpost in West Jaintia Hills against Assam assistant inspector of police Paban Bordoloi, the in-charge of Mookoilum police outpost, who was leading a team of eight police personnel when the incident took place.

The case has been registered under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC, to be read with Section 27 (1) of the Arms Act against Bordoloi and his companions.

The officer-in-charge of Jowai police station in West Jaintia Hills has taken up the case for investigation, sources said today.

Assam deputy inspector-general of police (central range) P.C. Saloi said Assam director-general of police Khagen Sarma has sought a report from him about the incident. “I am conducting an inquiry and will submit the report,” he added.

On Saturday, West Jaintia Hills deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) Polster Syiem had led a team of 24 police personnel for conducting a long range patrolling at Moolaber in Laskein block.

The area, which is more than 60km from Jowai, the headquarters of West Jaintia Hills, falls under Block I — one of the 12 disputed areas between Meghalaya and Assam — along the West Jaintia Hills-Karbi Anglong sector. Jowai is nearly 65km from here.

The patrolling was necessitated following reports by local villagers about the presence of Karbi militant groups who were allegedly extorting the villagers of Moolaber, Skap and the adjoining areas.

The previous day, West Jaintia Hills additional superintendent of police Welly Muksor had intimated Hamren superintendent of police D. Deori about the “activities” of Karbi militants.

When Syiem and his men reached Moolaber on Saturday morning, they alighted from their vehicles and started on foot. Earlier, it was reported that some Meghalaya police personnel were dressed in non-khaki uniform, although Syiem was in his khaki uniform.

The firing, reportedly by Assam police, took place around 11.50am along the Moolaber-Skap kutcha road within Moolaber village.

Syiem was hit by a bullet in his left arm, which then penetrated his abdomen. He was rushed to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences at Mawdiangdiang, on the outskirts of the state capital.

Yesterday, officials from Meghalaya and Assam had a joint meeting at and an inspection of the firing site.

Meghalaya has blamed Bordoloi for firing indiscriminately when they spotted the Meghalaya team since the in-charge of Raliang police outpost had informed him that a Meghalaya police patrol team was moving in a residential area.