A man with a toy pistol, mistaken for a booth grabber, was shot dead by the Border Security Force personnel at a polling station in Raghopur constiutency in Vaishali district during the second phase of the Bihar assembly elections Wednesday.

District Magistrate Sanjeev Hans said the man, Pappu Singh, was a priest at Pakauli and 'mentally unsound'. He was mistaken for a booth grabber.

The BSF shot him dead when he pointed the toy pistol at them, Hans said. The priest was returning to the temple after bathing in the river Ganga.

Former Chief Minister Rabri Devi is in the fray from Raghopur for a fourth term. Polling is being held in 62 of the 243 assembly seats in the second phase.

Anand Mohan Sahay adds from Patna: A large number of people protested killing of the innocent man. Vaishali district officias admitted that there were protests and tension in the area. Police officials also confirmed that there had been angry protests It has been reported that Pappu Singh was killed in the presence of Election Commisson special advisor K J Rao.

Angry locals said that Singh was not mentally unsound and that he was deliberately shot by BSF personnel to show tight security to Rao. They demanded that the BSF be withdrawn.

Raghopur constituency was turned into a fortress by handing it to the BSF to conduct polls Wednesday.