GUWAHATI, Jan 26: Indian soldiers shot dead 10 people in the volatile north east on Wednesday, mistaking some of them for militants, as rebels bombed Republic Day celebrations in the region.

In the north east, soldiers fired on a crowd of about 5,000 people after they attacked the troops with knives, sticks and stones in the village of Hajo on the outskirts of Guwahati, the region's main city.

Troops had gone to the Muslim-dominated village on the banks of the Brahmaputra river to hunt for guerillas believed to be hiding there. "They thought the militants were in the crowd, but finally when local police identified the bodies, they turned out to be villagers.

There were no militants among the victims," said Police Inspector-General Khagen Sharma. Hundreds of policemen have since been sent to the village to prevent more violence, another police officer said.

"It is an embarrassment for the army," said civil rights lawyer Bhaskar Dev Komwar. "You go on a counter-insurgency operation and you open fire on people." In New Delhi, a tight security cordon was thrown around the parade venue as thousands watched the events despite a biting winter chill.

Tens of thousands of security personnel were deployed, with roadblocks at intersections and the city centre closed to traffic. President Abdul Kalam took the salute on the Rajpath or King's Way, with Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wang chuck the chief guest.

India rolled out its military hardware, including the Brahmos cruise missile built by India and Russia, and the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. -AFP