VARANASI, May 18 -- A cow smuggler was shot dead and two others were injured in an encounter with police on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, after their pickup vehicle fatally ran over a head constable during a checking drive near Khujji turn under Chandavak police station area in Jaunpur, officials said.

The incident began around 11.50 pm on Saturday when a police team intercepted a speeding pickup suspected of smuggling cattle. Instead of stopping, the vehicle accelerated and ran over head constable Durgesh Kumar Singh, 35. Police said he was taken to Trauma Centre, Varanasi, where he was declared brought dead by doctors at 12:46 am on Sunday.

Superintendent of police, Jaunpur, Dr Kaustubh said police teams had been on al...