Prashant Kishor Demands Justice in Bharat Tiwari Encounter

Public anger continues to intensify over the controversial police encounter of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in Bihar’s Bhojpur district. A Mahapanchayat was organised on Wednesday in Bilauti village of Bhojpur district, the ancestral village of the deceased, where a large gathering pledged to continue the agitation until justice is delivered.

Addressing the gathering, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor said that merely taking action against the police personnel who fired the shot would not constitute justice.

According to him, accountability must extend to those who allegedly ordered the operation from Patna.

Kishor alleged that an encounter culture is being encouraged in the state and criticised the government’s handling of the case.

He stated that the incident was not simply the death of a young man in a police encounter but a serious matter that demands accountability at the highest levels.

“The Chief Minister has not expressed condolences to the family. The case was mishandled from the beginning, and now lower-level officials are being made scapegoats to ease public pressure,” he said.

Expressing solidarity with the bereaved family, Kishor stated that the Jan Suraaj movement stands firmly with them. Referring to the victim’s mother, he said that she was not seeking financial assistance, employment, or compensation but only justice for her son.

He argued that justice would not be achieved merely by suspending a Station House Officer or taking action against a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

According to him, the investigation should also examine those who allegedly planned or authorised the operation.

Kishor also questioned the government’s announcement regarding a judicial enquiry, saying that authorities have not clarified who will conduct the investigation or what its scope will be.

He asked whether the enquiry would focus only on the officers who allegedly fired the shots or also investigate those who directed the operation.

The Jan Suraaj leader criticised Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary over remarks that appeared to justify the police action.

He argued that policing is meant to protect citizens rather than resort to gunfire and warned against normalising encounter-based law enforcement.

Kishor further stated that Bharat Bhushan Tiwari was not mentally unstable but had been pushed into distress by circumstances and administrative issues.

He claimed that Tiwari had been raising local concerns and was not engaged in a personal conflict.

Warning of continued protests, Kishor said that if justice is not delivered and the role of the Home Department is not investigated, the movement will intensify.

He announced plans to seek a meeting with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary within the next 15 days and said that supporters would stage protests if their demands are ignored.

Mahapanchayat gives Bihar CM an ultimatum: 15 days to fix culpability, else we gherao you in Patna

The organisations, including the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), demanded to know on whose orders the Special Task Force (STF), sent from Patna, fired at Tiwari, allegedly after he had surrendered.

A large gathering of locals, caste confederations, social activists, civil society groups and political parties attended a Mahapanchayat at Bilouti village in Bhojpur on Wednesday and gave Bihar’s Samrat Choudhary government 15 days to identify and book those responsible for the police encounter in which Bharat Bhushan Tiwari was shot dead.

Even as Bhojpur Police has lodged a murder case against a sub-divisional police officer and an SHO, and has suspended five others, the Mahapanchayat — attended by representatives of Karni Sena, Parshuram Mahasabha and Brahmin Mahasabha from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh — accused Chief Minister Choudhary and DGP Vinay Kumar of “mishandling the problem”.

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor demanded to know who ordered the firing.

“We also want to know who is heading the proposed judicial commission and what its ambit is. Is the Home Department and STF being brought under the purview of the inquiry? Suspending a few officers and a belated FIR against some of them is not justice. Society has sufficient resources to meet the financial needs of the aggrieved family. We give CM Samrat Choudhary 15 days to act decisively on this murder, or else we will gherao the CM in Patna.”

The victim’s mother, Asha Tiwari, claimed while speaking at the gathering: “I don’t want money or a home. I want justice. After my son had thrown his arms, the police dragged my son to the ground and shot him three times right outside. Then, they threw him into the police vehicle and fired two more bullets into him, completely rupturing his body… They kept sitting over my complaint for three days and lodged a case against the policemen only after public outcry.”

Back in Patna, the government has come under attack from its own cabinet colleagues. Senior JD(U) leader and Food and Consumer Protection Minister Ashok Choudhary told reporters that the encounter had “undone all the good things the present government had done on the policing count”.

“How can police shoot an unarmed person? In one instance, you call Bharat mentally ill, and in the next instance, you kill him. This encounter may also damage the social fabric in the entire Shahabad region by threatening to create a social divide. The accountability has to be fixed,” he said.

Amid mounting public backlash, the Bihar administration was forced to act quickly. An FIR under IPC Section 302 (murder) and the Arms Act was filed against the operational team, including then Jagdishpur SDPO Rajesh Kumar Sharma and Shahpur SHO Rajesh Malakar. Sharma was stripped of his duties, attached to police headquarters and replaced by Pankaj Mishra. The state government has also sanctioned a judicial probe by a retired High Court judge.

Bharat Bhushan Tiwari died in a police encounter on June 17, 2026 in Bilauti village under the Shahpur police station area.

Police officials have maintained that the firing occurred in self-defence during retaliatory action.

However, the victim’s family alleges that he had already surrendered his weapon when he was shot.

The case has generated widespread debate after a video purportedly showing the incident surfaced publicly.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against five police personnel, including the SDPO and the SHO, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.

The incident has emerged as a major political issue in Bihar, with Opposition leaders and social groups demanding an impartial enquiry and accountability for those responsible.

History of the Conflict

The friction between the deceased and local authorities stemmed from his digital activism. The 28-year-old student and social media activist was well-known across Bhojpur for using online video platforms to highlight systemic corruption and administrative failures, particularly regarding the distribution of local flood relief packages.

However, the standoff escalated dramatically prior to June 17, 2026, when Tiwari uploaded controversial video clips displaying illegal firearms and openly issuing threats to local administrative officers. While police cite these threats as the operational basis for launching the Special Task Force raid, family members maintain his activism made him a target for a staged extrajudicial killing.

FAQs

When did the encounter of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari take place?

The police encounter occurred on June 17, 2026 in Bilauti village, located within the jurisdiction of the Shahpur police station in Bihar’s Bhojpur district.

What are the specific allegations made by Bharat Tiwari’s family?

The family alleges that Bharat Bhushan Tiwari had already surrendered his weapon when police dragged him down and shot him three times. They further claim that police threw him into a vehicle and fired two more bullets, deliberately targeting his private parts.

What disciplinary action has been taken against the involved police officers?

Bhojpur Police have registered an FIR for murder under Section 302 of the IPC and the Arms Act against the operational team. This includes Jagdishpur SDPO Rajesh Kumar Sharma, who was removed from his post, and Shahpur SHO Rajesh Malakar, alongside three other suspended officers.

What demands did Prashant Kishor make during the Mahapanchayat?

Prashant Kishor demanded a clear timeline and scope for the proposed judicial probe, insisting it must investigate the top officials in Patna who authorized the Special Task Force operation rather than just punishing lower-level officers.