ETAH: An angry mob attacked two Muslim men accusing them of theft, and later caused a ruckus at a police station where the victims were taken after being rescued, officials said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in the Nayagaon police station area late on Friday night.
Fahim, one of the two attacked by the mob, said he and his relative Firoz were returning from a 'Chehlum' procession when a group of men stopped them.
They were mistaken for thieves and beaten with sticks, he said.
"We kept telling them we were not thieves but the mob didn't listen to us," he added.
A patrolling team arrived at the scene, rescued the two men, and took them to the police station.
Soon a large crowd gathered outside the police station and demanded that the two men be handed over to them.
When their demand was turned down, the crowd pelted stones that damaged a police vehicle.
SP Rajkumar Singh said, "Additional force was sent to the police station, which used mild force and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
"The two injured men were medically examined. They are in a stable condition. We have registered a case against five named individuals and 50 unidentified people under relevant sections of law."
Heavy police force has been deployed in the area, where the situation is under control now, Singh said.