Close on the heels of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son allegedly running his car over the protesting farmers in Uttar Pradesh, another BJP Minister’s son in Bihar has been accused of opening fire on a group of village children playing cricket near his orchard, apprehending they were trying to “capture” his land.

The incident has triggered strong protests from the villagers who have demanded arrest of the accused.

As per the report, a group of children were playing cricket near a mango orchard at Hardiya village in West Champaran district this afternoon when BJP Minister Narayan Sah’s son Babloo Sah accompanied by some gun-toting persons rushed to the spot in a car and allegedly fired shots at the children to drive them away. Initially the children got terrified but very soon they mustered courage and began chasing the Minister’s son in the field. Sah is Tourism Minister in the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the state.

Witnesses said the mob finally caught the Minister’s son after giving a hot chase and allegedly assaulted him badly before snatching the pistol from his hand. They also allegedly hurled filthy abuses at the accused who was found helpless before the mob. The angry children accompanied by local villagers also allegedly thrashed the gun-totting men who had come in the car with the Minister’s name plate to terrorise the villagers.

“My son Janardan Kumar was playing a cricket match near my orchard when the minister’s son Babloo Saha accompanied by some gunmen came and began assaulting my son. He also fired on the ground but my son was injured after being assaulted by the butt of a gun,” his mother Reena Devi told newsmen. The victim along with other wounded persons has been admitted to a local government hospital for treatment.

The Minister, however, offered another explanation behind the incident. According to him, his son along with others had rushed to the spot to remove encroachments after getting information about local villagers capturing the land but the villagers assaulted him and also snatched his licensed pistol and rifles. “My son was also attacked with brickbats,” the Minister alleged but denied that his son reached the spot by an official car. The police have begun an investigation into the incident.

The fresh incident comes barely three months after the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra had allegedly run his car over a group of protesting farmers in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, leaving eight of them dead. The farmers  were protesting against the three controversial farm bills which were later withdrawn by the Narendra Modi government.

Earlier this month, the SIT probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence filed a charge-sheet against 14 people, including Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, who has been named the main accused. The 5,000-page charge sheet, which was submitted in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) said Ashish Mishra was at the spot where the violence took place.