Three people were killed and three others were critically injured after two groups opened fire on each other during a clash over a land dispute, in a village in Bareilly district late on Wednesday night.
According to police, the incident occurred at Govindpur of Katka Raman gram panchayat under Faridipur police station limits. Among the dead are one Sardar Paramvir Singh and one Devendra Singh, while the third victim was yet to be identified, the police said, adding three persons had suffered bullet wounds in the firing and were undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
Locals said heavy police force was deployed in the village to avoid any further clash.
A local police official said the group led by former pradhan of Raipur Hans gram panchayat Suresh Singh allegedly opened fire first. He said the former pradhan had a dispute with the three dead over the possession of around 135 bigha of land. In retaliation, the second group also opened fire, he added.
The cop said some people were taken into custody amid efforts to arrest Suresh Singh.