In a case of mistaken identity, the police in Rae Bareli district shot dead an innocent young man while chasing two chain snatchers on Friday night.
A team of Special Operations Group (SOG) was pursuing two chain snatchers in Lodhipur Uttrawan village when the two accused abandoned their vehicle on the roadside and ran into the fields.
The police opened fire in the dark and killed a 22-year-old youth, Dharmendra, who was standing in the field.
Angry villagers caught hold of one of the cops and thrashed him so badly that he had to be admitted to the trauma centre in Lucknow where his condition is said to be critical.
SP Love Kumar has suspended SOG in-charge O.P. Chauhan and police constable Chote Lal and a case has also been registered against the two policemen in the Lalganj police station.
The body of the youth has been sent for post-mortem and compensation will be paid to his kin by the state government, the SP said.