A Bihar police officer who fired at protesters with a suspended AK-47
Police vehicles damaged by protesters during ‘Bihar Bandh’ protest against NEET paper leak in Patna. File. | Photo credit: ANI
A police officer who was caught on camera firing at protesters in Bihar’s Siwan district on Saturday (July 25, 2026) has been suspended and a police inquiry has been ordered against him. At least three protesters sustained gunshot wounds and were admitted to a private hospital in Patna, where their condition is said to be stable. One was released from hospital on Monday (July 27, 2026).
A video of police officers firing an advanced AK-47 weapon has gone viral on social media since Sunday (July 26, 2026). “The video came late on social media as internet connectivity has been suspended for 24 hours in the district since Saturday due to the protest,” a local journalist in Siwan told The Hindu.
The police officer on camera has been identified as Abhishek Kumar and is said to be associated with the District Intelligence Unit (DIU). “The police officer has been suspended and an inquiry has been ordered against him,” Superintendent of Police Puran Kumar Jha told Siwan. When asked who ordered the policeman to fire the AK-47 at the protesters, Mr. Jha told the media, “Everything is a matter of the department.
“A policeman with an AK-47 in the JP Chowk area of Siwan fired four rounds in the air to protect government property and personal lives, but no one was injured in the firing. All three protesters with bullets were injured at different places, quite far from JP Chowk,” the police said on Monday (July 27, 2026). The police filed a first information report at the Siwan Town police station against three injured protesters – 17-year-old (name withheld), Aakash Kumar (22), who were injured at Hafiz Chowk in the city, and the third, Bullet Kumar Gond (20), was injured near the city traffic police station, which is about two kilometers away from the sacked police chief JP Siwan Chowk. hospital, were taken to Patna in a private hospital from where the 17-year-old (name withheld) was discharged,” police said.
“A total of 694 people were arrested during the July 25 protest, including 339 minors, who were released after verification. A total of 91 policemen were injured in the incident, 14 police vehicles were vandalized and 13 civilians were injured. Two Block Development Officers were seriously injured in the incident and are fighting for their lives,” the police said.
A large number of protesters gathered in Siwan in response to the call for a Bihar bandh by the All India Students Association (AISA) on Saturday (July 25, 2026). In the viral video, it can be seen that when the protesters started pelting stones at a group of deployed police officers, one of them, armed with an AK-47, rushed towards them and also fired several shots at them. A bandh call was given by AISA across the state. Incidents of violence were also reported in Patna, the state capital, in which some police vehicles were vandalized and some protesters were arrested. The shutdown witnessed widespread demonstrations across the state.
Same pattern: Rahul
In a post on X, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “the pattern (of police action) is the same everywhere – he points to the use of firearms in Delhi against protesting students and AK-47s in Bihar. The whole system is murderous against students. There are reports that AK-47 bullets have been fired at protesting students against students in Bihar, and where hundreds of students have been arrested under FIRs, where they have been arrested, Mr. Moddi has been arrested that. no FIRs will be filed against the students and they will be released?…Mr Modi, apologize to the students of the country and take action against those who attacked and crushed the students – not the students themselves.
Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, whose elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav was also arrested and sent to jail on July 26, called for “action against the culprits” while posting a video of the incident on social media. He warned that if the arrested students and his brother were not released within 24 hours, a massive protest would be launched in Bihar.
Published – 27 Jul 2026 12:49 IST