The residents, who were unhappy with the presence of an SSB outpost in the area, attacked the personnel and damaged the outpost. The jawans retaliated and even opened fire to disperse the mob. One of the locals sustained a bullet injury on his leg. Later, both sides filed FIRs with the police.

“The villagers attacked the SSB outpost, which is

about one-and-half kilometers from the Indo-Nepal border. Today’s provocation was objection by the jawans over the villagers fishing in a canal which is on the Nepal side,” said Superintendent of Police (Maharajganj), Dr Sanjiv Gupta.

“Preliminary investigation, however, has revealed that the locals wanted the outpost to be shifted, as the jawans used to keep a strict check on the frequent movement of the people and those indulging in smuggling of goods across the border,” he added.

The SSB, however, had a slightly different version.

Lalit Kumar, the Commandant of 11 Battalion (SSB), who visited the spot, said: “The incident occurred when the jawans caught a villager entering Nepal through the Gandak canal bridge around 6.30 am. While they were quizzing him, the villagers started gathering.”

Before the jawans could gauge the intention of the crowd, they were attacked. The crowd ransacked the outpost, smashing solar lights and other property, he said.

The jawans fired in the air to disperse the mob and a bullet hit a person on his thigh. “The villagers, too, attacked the jawans with sticks and rods, causing head injuries to two of them,” Kumar added.

The commandant said they have registered a case against unidentified villagers for attacking the jawans and damaging the property of the outpost. Four armed jawans had been present at the outpost when the clash occurred, he said.

The villagers also staged a protest demanding that the SSB outpost be shifted immediately. They had to be assured that the SSB officials would take a decision on the matter and the outpost would be shifted soon, the SP said.