A 27-year-old resident of South Salmara district in Assam was allegedly shot dead near the India-Bangladesh border in the early hours of Thursday, the police informed.

Local residents allege that Manir Zaman, a resident of Godhuli village, was a fisherman who was shot dead by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel who were posted at the border, but the police on the contrary said that the deceased was a cattle smuggler.

“The incident happened around 3 am on Thursday. Villagers of the area claim that he had gone out early to catch fish when he was allegedly shot dead by BSF personnel,” Saifur Ali, deputy superintendent of police (border) of South Salmara said.

However, the BSF denied any role of their personnel in the incident when the district police contacted them for clarification.

“Though the villagers say the deceased was a fisherman, as per our records he was a cattle smuggler and was involved in cases of supplying cows illegally to Bangladesh,” Ali claimed.