Kohima, Aug 14 (IANS): Around 250 villagers belonging to four villages of Nagaland's border Mon district on Friday organised a protest against the grenade attack by the NSCN-KYA militants on Thursday, officials said.

Police officials in Kohima said that around men, women and youths of Kangnyu, Wangto, Lankhao, and Chenloisho villages, carrying placards, staged a protest rally against the grenade attack by the cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang-Yung Aung faction on Thursday.

The local people also observed a black day and blocked the Wangti-Chenloisio-Chenmoho road as a mark of protest.

Responding to the villagers and village chief's request on Thursday, a team of security personnel carried out the clearance of landslides with the help of villagers from Kangnyu, Wangto, and Chenloisho. In the evening, when the villagers and the Assam Rifles troopers were returning, three hand grenades were lobbed at them from a height.

The grenades landed in front of civilians, and though two didn't explode, one did, causing shrapnel injuries to 75-year-old Keipa of Kangnyu village.

The security forces immediately retaliated and fired a couple of rounds towards the location from where the grenades were lobbed. The injured local was rushed to the company base of Assam Rifles, where he was given first aid and stabilised, and was then moved to Mon for further treatment.