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gates into the village.
The Officer in Charge of the troops then took Inspector Pincott and myself through the centre of the village (which was absolutely deserted) to the headmans house. We knocked on the door for some time and getting no reply, the door was smashedin. We found the headman in an inner room and he was told to come with us. We then started to return to the centre of the village where the houses were situated which were to be raided.
In the meantime sentries at the gates and cross roads had been posted, and about six parties of 10 men each had been detailed to raid each suspect house.
As we approached the suspect area we heard the doors of these houses being smashedin, and realized the raid had begun. The houses to be searched were all in the same street and quite close together, and were all being dealt with at the same time.
Several shots were then fired from a house, a little further up the street from where we were standing; but owing to the darkness, we could not see what had happened. The Officer in Charge then came running up and told us that one of his officers had been shot in the side. We went to the spot and found that while a party of soldiers were forcing the door of a house, a man had slipped the bolt from the inside and had come running out, firing with a gun from either hand, and had shot the officer.
On seeing this man run out, the officer in charge who wasalso standing outside the door, fired at him hitting him in the knee cap and thigh, and bringing him down. We found him lying on the ground unconscious but still alive. The officer in charge then ordered a small soldier (about 14 years old) to despatch him, which he did by firing another
shot