Residents of a village near the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya have lodged a First Information Report against the Border Security Force, claiming that Friday’s firing by its personnel to stop “cattle smugglers” was a fake encounter, PTI reported on Sunday.

The BSF, which guards the country’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, said in a statement that their jawans posted in Kachu Adokgre in West Garo Hills district had come under attack from cattle smugglers. The paramilitary force said the smugglers had been joined by locals and that the jawans had to open fire to control them. Two people had been injured.

The villagers of Belabor, however, contested this version and lodged an FIR on Saturday, Superintendent of Police MGR Kumar said on Sunday. “The BSF personnel were trying to pass ordinary villagers as cattle smugglers to impress their superiors,” the FIR said.

The villagers claimed that the BSF men had arrived at a spot outside from their jurisdiction, questioned a resident of Belabor about cattle smuggling and let him go at 9 am on Friday. Then they moved to Kochu Adokgre and found Namseng Ch Sangma, also a resident of Belabor, herding cattle. They accused him of trying to smuggle the animals to Bangladesh, the FIR said.

When the villagers reached the spot, an argument ensued. The BSF personnel refused to listen to their entreaties and opened fire instead. The locals claimed that Namseng was among the injured.