DARBHANGA, Sept. 7 -- Bihar's minister for backward class and extremely backward class welfare Hari Sahni has been named along with 36 others in an alleged encroachment of 22 kathas of government land in Bela Yakub under Bahadurpur block. Acting on a complaint, the Bahadurpur Circle Officer (CO) had issued notices, asking all those concerned to appear on September 4 to present their defence. The encroachment pertains to Bela Yakub village, thana number 500 and khesra number 361. Sahni's son was said to have appeared before officials on his behalf. The case originated from a petition submitted by one Jaiprakash Sahni at the Darbhanga DM's Janata Darbar on February 1, 2025, alleging large-scale illegal occupation of government land. Following the DM's directive, the sub-divisional public grievance redressal department ordered an inquiry, and an Amin's report confirmed encroachment by 37 people, including the minister. Reacting to the charges, Sahni said, "The matter has come to my notice. I have requested the Bahadurpur CO to re-investigate. If my land is found to be part of the encroached area, I will vacate it voluntarily. If it falls under road expansion, I am ready to hand it over for widening." He also maintained that neither he nor his family had been involved in such disputes earlier, asserting that "some people have been misled, and names have been dragged unnecessarily." When contacted on Saturday, Bahadurpur CO Nischal Prem said he had also learnt of the allegations through media reports and could confirm the details only after reviewing the official file. He, however, suggested the controversy appeared to be "sponsored," as the extent of encroached land cited was "very small." He added that, in his view, the minister was a gentleman....