Six Indian troops shot dead by colleague

An Indian paramilitary soldier has killed six of his colleagues in a shooting incident in the north-eastern state of Manipur, officials say.

The incident took place Wednesday night in restive Manipur state's Ukhrul district, about 90 km (55 miles) east of the capital Imphal, where the country's oldest paramilitary force, the Assam Rifles, is deployed for anti-insurgency operations.

The soldier shot a comrade dead after an argument. The killer then shot dead five other soldiers who tried to disarm him, before fleeing the scene.

"The trooper first trained his assault rifle on a senior officer following an argument, killing him. When five fellow troopers rushed in after hearing gunshots, the berserk soldier sprayed bullets on them," said army spokesman Major Shamsher Jung.

Officials are investigating the Wednesday night shooting and have launched a manhunt for the soldier, whose name was not immediately released

It was not clear what prompted the killings in Ukhrul district, 90 kilometers northeast of the state capital of Imphal.

Violence between fellow soldiers is not unusual in India and is often attributed to exhaustion after long postings.

It was the sixth time in three years that a soldier posted to the insurgency-wracked state of Manipur has fired on other Indian forces. In July, a soldier burst into his officer's room and shot him dead.

Soldiers face danger not only from the state militants and rebellions but also tough terrain and extreme weather conditions.

Manipur, one of India's most remote and dangerous regions, can be an especially grim assignment.

The Assam Rifles are fighting separatist rebels who straddle the heavily wooded and porous India-Myanmar border. More than 10,000 people have died in separatist violence over the past decade.

Ringed by Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, India's northeast is home to more than 200 tribes and has been racked by separatist revolts since India gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Militant groups accuse New Delhi of exploiting the region's mineral and forest resources, but investing little in return.

India has placed military, paramilitary and police forces under a single regional command to tackle the rebellion.—Reuters