Lucknow, July 11 - After being denied admission to a circus show for not having tickets, unidentified youths shot dead a police inspector in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur district, police said Saturday.

Jitendra Singh, 52, was killed at the GIC ground in Lakhimpur, about 100 km from here, late Friday.

Witnesses told police that four-five motorcycle borne youths arrived at the GIC ground and headed to the show.

Singh asked the youths to show entry tickets but they refused. When he said they should purchase tickets, the youths shot him and escaped.

Singh succumbed to bullet injuries on the way to hospital.

'Efforts are on to nab those behind the killing of the policeman,' Superintendent of Police S.R.S. Aditya told reporters.