Bihar CM orders judicial inquiry into Bharat Bhushan Tiwari’s alleged fake encounter
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. File Image | Photo credit: PTI
The Bihar government on Saturday (June 20, 2026) ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged fake encounter of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari (28), who died on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) in Bhojpur district under Shahpur police station area. Several people, including ruling party leaders, raised questions about the police encounter with the man, who had no criminal record and was involved in social work. The incident sparked massive public outrage and protests across the region.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary shared information about X and said, “It has been decided to conduct a judicial inquiry by a former Supreme Court judge for an independent and impartial investigation into the police encounter that took place on 17.06.2026 at Bilaoti village in the Shahpur police station area of Bhojpur district. The objective of the judicial inquiry and transparency in all aspects is to ensure impartiality and impartiality.”
The Bhojpur police have landed themselves in trouble after giving two different justifications in two press statements issued by their office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) on June 16 and 17, 2026.
“The Shahpur police station received information that a man was roaming around with a gun, but the police team found him to be mentally unstable. For the safety of the public, the process of transferring him to a psychiatric hospital for treatment and care has been initiated. The police team is constantly trying to get the gun safely out of his possession,” said a statement on the 16th.
The day after the alleged fake encounter took place, the police issued a statement which read: “On 17 June 2026, at approximately 09:00 AM, the police received information that a person named Bharat Bhushan Tiwari was brandishing a pistol and firing in the air. The police and the Bhojpur STF team repeatedly appealed to the individual to surrender the pistol at all times; His actions seriously endangered the lives and safety of the police team and the general public.”
It further stated, “To bring the situation under control, STF personnel – equipped with bulletproof vests – tried to approach the person. When the police approached him, the individual fired at the police; in response, the police team opened fire in self-defence and for the protection of the public, hitting the individual in the leg. The person subsequently died while undergoing treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), further action is being taken.”
However, on the same day, the video went viral on social media; here the deceased was shown to have surrendered to the police by throwing away his pistol. The victim’s Facebook Live feed, which he started when the police arrived in the village to confront him, also showed this version of events. The video also showed that his demand was that politicians must fulfill the promises they made.
On the evening of June 19, four police officers, including a sub-inspector and an assistant sub-inspector, who were at the spot during the encounter, were suspended. Speaking for his son, Kashinath Tiwari, father of the deceased, said there was no need to open fire when Bharat was willing to surrender.
Earlier in the day, Janata Dal (United) national labor president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Jha said, “The video that has emerged in the Bharat Tiwari encounter case certainly raises suspicions. The state government has quickly suspended four police officers, but that is not enough. A time-bound inquiry into the matter should be conducted by a senior government official and that there should be culpability, action should be taken. For criminals, if a police officer commits any crime, there should be no spared not even against them.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union minister Ashwni Choubey said in a social media post, “This incident brings shame to our democracy. Bharat Bhushan Tiwari was a strong voice for ST, SC, OBC, impoverished and marginalized sections. He was brutally shot dead by the police after he had already surrendered.”
He also urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take cognizance of the case and order an immediate high-level inquiry and take strict action against the police personnel responsible for the murder to ensure that no wrong message is sent to the society.
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav demanded an apology from the Chief Minister for the fact that an FIR was lodged against the family members of the deceased.
Published – 20 Jun 2026 20:56 IST