Bihar police register FIR against Jagdishpur DSP, Shahpur SHO in Bharat Tiwari alleged encounter case

BHOJPUR (Bihar): The Bihar police have registered an FIR against the Jagdishpur DSP, the Shahpur Station House Officer (SHO), and other assisting police personnel in the alleged encounter of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari.

The FIR, which was registered in the Shahpur police station following the complaint by Tiwari’s mother to the Bhojpur SP, who claimed “wrongful killing” of Bharat Tiwari.

The FIR was registered after a complaint by Tiwari’s mother, who alleged that her son was shot after being thrown into a pit and shot with five bullets even after he had agreed to surrender to the police. She also alleged that her husband was detained by officials from the evening until late at night. Afterwards, the police informed her that her son had died, according to the written complaint of the mother.

“They told my son (Bharat Tiwari) to come along, warning that otherwise, he would be forcibly bound. Hearing this, he agreed to go. He threw down his weapon and placed his hands on the ground before the police. The police personnel grabbed him, threw him into a pit, and, upon the orders of the Jagdishpur DSP present there, the police personnel repeatedly shot him, wounding him with five bullets, and then loaded him into a vehicle and left. Following this, my husband was also taken to the Shahpur police station and detained from the evening until late at night. In the evening, the police informed us that my son had died,” the mother said in the letter.

Many people have been killed in the name of “encounters,” and a large number of those killed have belonged to Dalit, Adivasi, OBC and Muslim communities.

Extrajudicial killings are unconstitutional and violate the rule of law. However, mainstream media has rarely questioned… pic.twitter.com/xvHce5HF45

— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) June 20, 2026

On Tuesday, Jyoti Singh, who is the estranged wife of BJP MLC and Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh, visited the residence of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, who was allegedly encountered by the police in Bihar’s Bhojpuri, earlier this month.

After meeting the family members of Bharat Tiwari, Jyoti Singh expressed confidence in the judiciary that the kin of the victim would get justice, while stressing that a police encounter takes place when the police are attacked from the front. She claimed that Tiwari was shot after he had already surrendered his weapon.

Janata Dal (United) leader Amrendra Kumar Pandey said that the state government would ensure that the state government would “ensure justice” for Tiwari, saying, “Our government will ensure that Bharat Bhushan Tiwari gets justice.”

Meanwhile, Advocate Varsha Singh said that she made a video as a practising lawyer as soon as she learned about the case, noting that there is no such term as “encounter” in the Indian law system and the police are only permitted to use firearms when they have no other way left to apprehend the serious offender. She further cited a Supreme Court ruling which mandates an inquiry from an independent agency and registration of FIR, if an encounter results in the death of the individual.

“As soon as I learned about the case, I made a video as a practising advocate to inform the public that there is no such thing as an encounter under Indian law. The police are only authorised to use firearms if their own lives are in imminent danger, or if there is absolutely no other way to apprehend a serious offender. However, none of those conditions was applicable in this instance…this is nothing less than murder,” said Varsha Singh.

Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, 28, a student and local activist from Bilauti village in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, died in a controversial police encounter on June 17, 2026. Tiwari was known locally for aggressively raising awareness about local corruption and administrative failure, specifically highlighting the lack of government rehabilitation for flood-affected people in Jawania village of Bihar.

Out of frustration with government officials, Tiwari posted videos on Facebook showcasing an illegal weapon and threatening to “encounter” local administrative officers.

Local police surrounded his home. On June 16, 2026, the Bhojpur Police released an official statement declaring that Tiwari was “mentally unstable” and that they were attempting to disarm him and transfer him to a mental asylum for treatment.

On June 17, a stand-off culminated in Tiwari being shot by the Special Task Force (STF) and local police. He later succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The case has been divided into two contrasting narratives. The Bhojpur Police claimed that Tiwari continuously fired 8 to 10 rounds from an illegal pistol at the police team, forcing the STF personnel to fire back in self-defence.

A 28-year-old social activist, Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, was killed in a shocking fake encounter by the Bihar Police in Bhojpur.

He surrendered on Facebook Live, crying ‘Don’t shoot!’, yet they took his life.

Why is the National Media not covering this news? pic.twitter.com/3S6bue7x5g

— Dr Ranjan (@DocRGM_) June 21, 2026

A video streamed on Facebook Live just before the shooting showed Tiwari standing in an open field, addressing the camera and throwing his pistol toward the police in an apparent gesture of surrender. His family and residents argue that the police shot an unarmed man who had already yielded.

The incident has escalated into a major political and legal crisis in Bihar. Following public outcry and heavy political pressure, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary ordered a formal independent judicial inquiry led by a retired High Court judge. The administration swiftly suspended four police officers, including the local Station House Officer (SHO), pending an investigation.(ANI)