Bihar Police Constable Arrested in Connection with Fatal Encounter

A Bihar Special Task Force (STF) constable was arrested Friday in connection with the killing of 28-year-old Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in a police encounter in Bhojpur district last month — the first arrest of a policeman in a case that became a political flashpoint in the state. Bhojpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Raj confirmed to The Indian Express that STF constable Akshay Kumar was arrested in Ara. “Further legal proceedings are underway, and the investigation is continuing in accordance with the law,” he said. The arrest comes after a DIG-monitored committee looked into the killing after Tiwari’s family alleged the encounter was staged. According to senior police sources, the inquiry concluded that the STF constable had used “excessive force” against Tiwari. “The constable was found to have fired three bullets into Tiwari’s leg,” an officer said. The killing led to murder charges being filed against Jagdishpur Deputy Superintendent of Police and Shahpur Station House Officer (SHO) on June 22. While the Shahpur SHO is one of four policemen suspended since then, Jagdishpur SDPO has been transferred. In her FIR, Asha Devi alleged that policemen, acting on the DSP’s orders, pushed her son to the ground and “shot him five times” despite promising that his demands would be met. Sources, too, have denied that Tiwari sustained five separate gunshot injuries, saying the post-mortem counted entry and exit wounds separately. According to an officer, three bullets caused five wounds because two passed through the leg, while another ricocheted internally and damaged a vein near the groin, resulting in excessive bleeding that likely caused his death. Sources also claim that Tiwari attempted to snatch a policeman’s weapon. The encounter took place on June 17 after a two-day standoff between Tiwari and police in Bilauti village. Moments before the encounter, Tiwari live-streamed himself on Facebook, saying, “Mange poori ki jayengi to mujhe shastra niche dalne mein koi samasya nahi hai (If the demands are fulfilled, I have no problem laying down my weapon)”. He then added, “Hathiyar inko de diya gaya hai (The weapon has been given to them)”, before firing one shot into the air and tossing his pistol towards the policemen before the livestream ended. The incident sparked a political storm, with leaders across party lines — including the ruling NDA — questioning the police action and demanding an independent investigation. Separately, a one-member judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice Vinod Kumar Sinha is conducting an independent inquiry into the incident.