An inquiry was on Saturday ordered by the BSF after its personnel were caught in a row with locals in Tripura over killing of three civilians who had protested alleged molestation bid by some paramilitary personnel.
The BSF said that the three civilians, including a woman, were engaged in cattle smuggling and had attacked the jawans who opened fire in "self-defence", a claim rejected by the local people, who alleged that the paramilitary jawans were trying to molest a tribal woman at Bhangamura in South Tripura.
Stepping in, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has sought a detailed report from the BSF Chief K K Sharma on the incident, officials said in New Delhi.
In a statement, the Border Security Force (BSF) claimed that its personnel posted along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura Frontier on Friday observed 30-40 smugglers including men and women, trying to smuggle cattle from India to Bangladesh through unfenced gap near BOP Bhangamura. The local police has denied it.
The BSF claimed that its personnel challenged the group and fired two warning shots in the air to disperse the smugglers, who instead encircled the paramilitary party and "attacked them with 'dah' and 'lathis'".
"Sensing their life in danger, the BSF party fired in self-defence, in which three smugglers died. Firing was the last resort available to troopers."
The statement "regretted" the loss and said "every human life is valued by BSF" and claimed that 10 cattle were recovered after the scuffle in which its personnel also sustained injuries.
However, Superintendent of Police in the control room Bhanupada Chakraborty quoted an FIR lodged by villagers in which it was alleged that three BSF jawans attempted to molest a young woman at Chitabari when she was on her way back home on Friday evening after working in a rubber plantation.
When she raised an alarm, villagers rushed to the spot. A clash ensued and the BSF jawans opened fire, killing the woman and two other
villagers on the spot besides injuring two others, the FIR said.