Amausi village (Patna), Oct 2 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday condemned the Khagaria district incident, in which Maoists killed sixteen persons, and said a full inquiry has been ordered into it.

"The more you criticise this incident the less it is. Our officers are present at the site. They are investigating into it. According to the preliminary information we have received, some people are saying that Maoists have a hand in this incident. But we will be able to confirm it only after a thorough investigation," said Kumar.

Kumar was in Patna to celebrate the 140th birth anniversary of Mahtama Gandhi.

Meanwhile, authorities have launched an investigation to ascertain those behind the carnage, which claimed 16 lives, including five children, in the early hours of Friday at Amausi village in the Khagaria district.

Security personnel have intensified their combing operation to trace culprits in the entire district.

According to villagers, the victims were killed after they defied Maoists to handover their land to them.

"They claim our land to be theirs and the incident took place at the disputed land site. They came at midnight. They caught all the people and shot at their heads from a close range," said Jawahar Singh, a villager. (ANI)