According to police sources, three students of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University, had an altercation with the salesmen at a garment showroom in the mall in the cantonment area, over discounts.
The students, who carried pistols, opened fire at the salesmen, killing two of them on the spot, police said, adding that two others, who tried to intervene, were also hit by bullets and seriously injured.
Near stampede
The perpetrators managed to make good their escape brandishing pistols, sources said. There was a near stampede in the mall after the incident as people tried to rush to the exits to safety.
The injured were rushed to a hospital, where their condition was stated to be critical.
Police officials in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that they were trying to identify the culprits with the help of the CCTV footage. ''We have identified one of the students,'' said a senior police official.
A massive hunt has been launched to nab the culprits, police said.