Lucknow, Dec 17  A police constable fired in the air to control an unruly crowd outside a bank in Bulandshahr on Saturday as the people, unable to get cash, became restive, police said.

The incident took place outside the local Punjab National Bank (PNB) where some women standing in a queue got into an altercation with the constable deputed there.

When the constable tried to discipline the group into standing quietly in a queue, he was beaten up by some men.

In an apparent bid to save his life from the irate mob, he fired blanks in the air. But, with the crowd getting further enraged, he rushed inside the bank and locked himself there.

Police reinforcements were rushed to the scene and the crowd was dispersed with the use of minor force.

The constable has since been suspended for using force, ignoring a state government warning in this regard.