Imphal, Jan. 20: Two groups of commandos in civil dress, separately chasing a gang of militants, mistook each other for rebels and traded fire in Manipur today.

An elderly man, Thangjam Thambou, was seriously injured after being hit by a stray bullet in the shootout at Wangkei neighbourhood of Imphal East this morning.

The site of the crossfire is barely 200 metres from Sanjenthong-Porompat road, chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh’s preferred route to the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital. The clash erupted just 15 minutes before Ibobi Singh’s scheduled visit to the hospital to inspect progress of infrastructure development on the eve of a visit tomorrow by members of the Finance Commission.

Thambou, 76, was admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences. His condition was stated to be serious.

Eyewitnesses said Thambou was sitting near a roadside shop when the shots were fired. The two groups of police commandos were operating in the area following information that some militants were present around 10am today. The commandos did not inform one another about the covert operation.

“The encounter took place because of misunderstanding between police commandos from two districts, Imphal East and Imphal West,,” said a senior police official, who did not wish to be named. The fact that they were not in uniform added to the confusion.

But another official, while lamenting the “unfortunate” incident, said the commandos had acted in haste, contrary to to their training. “They are trained to be quick on the draw, but, at the same time, they are also expected to hold their nerve and remain calm before pulling the trigger, particularly in civilian areas,” he said. The incident also exposed the utter lack of coordination, he added.

“The firing broke out between two persons in civil dress coming in a car and another two on a motorcycle. We did not know which group fired first. I fled after hearing the first shot,” an eyewitness said. There was heavy traffic along Wangkehi road when the firing broke out and people ran for cover. “I ran and hid behind a shop,” Ranjana Devi, who was at the site, said later.

Police commandos in East and West Imphal districts were separately informed about the presence of militants in the area by a “source.” Following the shootout, Imphal East police picked up the “source” for questioning.

Th. Radheshyam Singh, superintendent of police Imphal East, and L. Kailun, superintendent of police, Imphal West, were not aware of the operation.

Radheshyam Singh was overseeing security measures for Ibobi Singh’s hospital visit when the incident took place. Later the two police officials contacted one another and withdrew their respective teams after learning about the “misunderstanding”.

An inquiry is on to find out how the incident took place.

A written request has been sent by the local Wall United Youth Club to the Imphal East SP seeking immediate relief for the injured person.