Patna, May 18: Fourteen persons were killed in poll-related violence during the second phase of panchayat elections in Bihar today.

In the most disturbing incident ? which may not be directly related to today?s polls but could be a caste massacre ? took place on the border of Sheikhpura and Nalanda districts, where angry supporters of a candidate opened fire on a group of villagers and killed nine of them.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar fought hard not to classify the killings as ?caste-based, election-related, gang war or retaliatory? but reports from the ground pointed otherwise. ?This is a case of indiscriminate firing by supporters of one candidate. We have no clue why backward caste people of a particular village were targeted. We are investigating further. I will visit the place tomorrow,? Nitish said.

Home secretary Afzal Amanullah, who had yesterday said that the number of poll-related deaths would decline from 10 in the first phase, stressed that polling was not being held in Gowachak village where the killings happened around 4 pm.

Around 11.30 in the morning, supporters of two upper caste Bhumihar candidates, Ramanuj Singh and Tantan Singh, clashed in Bhadarpur village of Barbigha block in Sheikhpura district. One of Ramanuj?s supporters was killed in the incident.

Sources said this angered the men of Ramanuj, who, armed with guns, marched towards the border of Nalanda district. ?On reaching Gowachak village in Nalanda they opened indiscriminate fire on the supporters of Yogendra Ram, a candidate who had nothing to do with today?s polls,? said one of the sources.

All nine persons killed belonged to the extremely backward Kahar caste.

Inspector-general of police Anil Sinha, however, claimed there was no ?caste angle? to the killings. He also stressed that the incident had nothing to do with the rival gangs of Ashok Mahto and Akhilesh Singh, which yield considerable influence in the region.

The other major incident was reported in Masadpur village of central Bihar?s Arwal district. Amanullah said clashes near a polling booth led to two deaths.

?After this, the police were forced to open fire. One home guard jawan was killed when the criminals retaliated,? he added.

Another person, described by the administration as a booth-grabber, was lynched by villagers in Chhapra (Saran) district. ?The booth-grabber was chased by the policemen as well as the villagers. The villagers later overpowered and lynched him,? the home secretary said.

Saran superintendent of police Satyendra Prasad Singh had a narrow escape when booth-grabbers on the run hurled crude bombs at him in Mubarakpur village.

The bombs missed the target and exploded some distance away from the officer.

Amanullah said 68 per cent polling was recorded during the day when elections were held in 37 of the 38 districts.

In another incident, three persons were killed in Jamui district when the crude bombs they were assembling exploded. Police said the incident was not related to elections but they would not say why the bombs were being assembled.