A firing between the nephews of Union junior home minister Nityanand Rai in Bihar’s Bhagalpur left one of them dead, while the other and their mother were seriously injured on Thursday.

The incident that occurred at Jagatpur village in Bhagalpur district was a result of a dispute on fetching water from a tap installed under the state government’s “Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal” scheme.

Vishwajeet Yadav alias Vikal and Jaijeet Yadav – the two nephews of Rai – got into an argument over a pail of water from the tap that was installed outside their house.

“As the altercation turned violent, Vishwajeet suddenly pulled out a pistol and fired at his brother Jaijeet, who snatched the firearm and fired back at him. Their mother, Heena Devi, was also hit by a bullet while trying to intervene,” said a police officer.

Other family members and villagers rushed them to a nearby hospital where Vishwajeet was declared dead while Jaijeet was undergoing treatment under police custody. His condition is said to be critical.

A forensic team collected evidence from the spot.