Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Residents of the Karang Anyar village in Langsa denied reports that a drunken mob had beaten Shariah police as they tried to disperse a live music performance on Sunday evening.

"Most of the audience, there were around 100 of them, were drunk. I and members of the WH [Wilayatul Hisbah – Shariah Police] climbed the stage and asked them to disperse," Ibrahim Latif, head of Langsa Islamic Shariah Agency, told reporters earlier this week.

But locals contested that narrative, and officials in the East Aceh village have filed a defamation suit against the Langsa Islamic Shariah Agency.

"Mr. Ibrahim and several WH members went onstage, asking that we stop the keyboard show," Ahmad Tukiran, chief of Karang Anyar village, told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

"Village officials went up, too. Not long after that, the music immediately stopped and the audience dispersed themselves. So there was no attack or beating of Mr. Ibrahim, as media have reported. We suspect the news of the attack was politicized by the chief of the Shariah Agency."

Village officials who were at the scene supported Ahmad's account, and some claimed to have guarded WH members as they returned to their offices.

Ibrahim's account stands in sharp contrast. "Some WH members were bruised on the face," he said on Monday. "I myself was hit twice on the face by two mad, drunk guys."

According to Ahmad, the performance in question was part of a peaceful Indonesian Independence Day celebration that included the distribution of prizes to local game winners.

"Logically, if there was such a massive attack, as Mr. Ibrahim has claimed, there would be someone who went to the hospital for treatment, but no one was admitted and everyone is in good shape, because there was no attack at all," Ahmad said. "My villagers won't accept being accused as if they are gangsters who don't support Shariah law."

Ahmad said he invited Ibrahim to discuss the events but Ibrahim declined. "He didn't want to come," Ahmad said. "That is why we're filing a suit: so that the defamation of our village can be dealt with lawfully."

He admitted that some of the audience was drunk. "We have no idea who they were," he said. "Whether they were residents of my village or from the neighboring village, whether they got drunk elsewhere then went to watch the show here – who can prove it?"