Belaganj MLA Surendra Prasad Yadav said his SUV was fired upon late on Sunday night when he was returning to Gaya town from Sripur, around 17km away, where he had gone to attend a wedding.

The incident occurred around 11pm.

"I was returning to Gaya after attending a wedding party at Mahesh Kumar's house in Tuhihara village of Sripur on Sunday night. When we were passing through Sripur-Belaganj, the security guards and the driver noticed a wooden log on the road," Surendra, a six-time MLA, told The Telegraph from Gaya. "Sensing danger, the driver reversed the car, and started going in the opposite direction. But the criminals were hiding behind a tree and fired indiscriminately at the vehicle. The driver sped ahead more than half-a-kilometre before stopping.

"All of us were terrified. While the driver sped in the opposite direction, my security personnel returned the criminals' fire," he added.

No one was injured in the attack. Surendra called Gaya senior superintendent of police (SSP) Garima Mallick and Belaganj station hours officer 20 minutes after the incident. The police reached the spot and escorted the MLA to Gaya.

The Gaya police suspended Belaganj police station in-charge station house officer Sikander Paswan and Awadesh Ram, assistant sub-inspector in the police patrolling team, but sources said officers are also investigating the case with a suspicious eye on the MLA's account.

"We have come to know that at the same time the MLA claimed his car was attacked, two motorcyclists on the route were looted," said SSP Mallick. "The forensic team is investigating the two bullets marks on the vehicle to see if the shots were fired from the outside or inside the vehicle."