A suspected cattle smuggler was shot dead by the Border Security Force on the India-Bangladesh border early on Sunday morning.

The Border Guard Bangladesh and the Bangladesh police recovered the body of Serajul Haque, who hailed from a village in Dinhata-II block here, and sent it for autopsy.

Haque, 47, was a vegetable seller, claimed his neighbours. His village is somed 15km from where his body was found.

“During probe, it has been found that the BSF fired two rounds from a pump action gun to disorient a group who were sending cattle to Bangladesh. Later, it was found that Serajul Haque had died due to the bullet injuries,” said a police source. The BSF recovered 13 cows from the spot.

“The BSF can’t gun down a suspected smuggler. They could have handed him over to the police. Over the past few months, the BSF has been resorting to firing without adopting non-lethal means,” said Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, the Trinamul MLA of Sitai.