The police lathi-charged the protesters (Representational)
Two people were killed in police firing when protests over power outages in Bihar's Katihar turned violent. The victims have been identified as Khurshid Alam and Sonu, news agency PTI reported, quoting the police.
Sonu died during treatment at the Katihar Medical College, where he was admitted with another man, also injured in the firing.
The police allegedly opened fire to disperse the mob that had gathered outside the office of the local electricity department to protest the irregular power supply and exorbitant tariffs in the area.
The situation escalated when some of the protesters began throwing stones and the police responded by lathi-charging the demonstrators, PTI reported.
"We will identify those who instigated the crowd and take action against them in accordance with the law. The police fired in self-defence," an official said.
After the incident, the police ensured a heavy deployment of forces in the area to maintain law and order.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, who was in the district for a party event, stopped by to take stock of the situation.