A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured when a soldier shot him after catching him trespassing at the military residential quarters here Sunday, police said.
The boy, Dilshan, was hit on the head and has been admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Government Hospital here.
His condition is said to be critical.
A police officer said that Dilshan and his friends, residents of Indira Nagar near Island Grounds, had trespassed into the nearby army officers' quarters to pluck mangoes.
As Dilshan fell after being shot, his friends fled. They informed the boy's parents, who rushed him to the hospital.
"Enquiries are on to ascertain the situation that led to the shooting," police said.
Top city police officers are discussing the issue with their army counterparts.
Residents of Indira Nagar protested on the roads - near the army residential quarters as well as near the hospital - disrupting traffic for nearly two hours.
"The soldier could have warned the boys or chased them away instead of firing at them," one of the protesters said.
Police said serious action will be taken against the soldier who shot the boy.