Bihar encounter: mother claims son was thrown in pit and shot, judicial inquiry begins
A judicial commission on Thursday began its inquiry into the death of 28-year-old Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, who was killed in a police encounter in Bhojpur district last week. Retired Patna High Court judge Justice Vinod Kumar Sinha, leading the probe, met with Tiwari's parents at their home in Bilouti village.
Tiwari, described by his family as a social activist, was shot by police on the morning of June 17 and died at a Patna hospital later that evening. The incident sparked public outrage, prompting the state government to order a judicial probe. Meanwhile, Bhojpur police have filed murder charges against a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) and a Station House Officer (SHO), and suspended five policemen for alleged dereliction of duty.
During the commission's visit, a family member stated that Justice Sinha recorded the statements of Tiwari's father, Kashinath Tiwari, and mother, Asha Devi. According to the family member, Asha Devi testified that her son had surrendered his weapon and agreed to accompany the police. She alleged that police personnel then grabbed him, threw him into a pit, and shot him five times on the SDPO's orders.
After the interview, Justice Sinha and his team inspected the site of the shooting to assess the physical and spatial context of the incident.
A family member expressed reservations about the investigation: “It is good that the judicial probe has started, but we have not yet been informed about the commission's terms of reference or the scope of its investigation. We simply want to know on whose orders bullets were fired at an unarmed person. Will the commission look into the role of DGP Vinay Kumar and the STF?”
Former Bihar DGP Abhayanand criticised the police action, calling it “not an encounter, but a murder.” He stated that culpability rests with the policemen who fired and those who ordered the firing, and that the incident reflects poorly on policing and the state administration.
A retired IPS officer pointed to several lapses: police opened fire after the suspect surrendered, contrary to a Facebook Live video; officers failed to deploy crisis negotiators despite Tiwari being declared “mentally unstable” the day before; non-lethal alternatives were bypassed; the operation lacked transparency and did not follow Supreme Court-mandated oversight protocols; and police allegedly detained Tiwari's father for a day and withheld information from the family.
Tiwari, known for taking up local issues, was killed on June 17 after a two-day standoff live-streamed to his 1.6 lakh Facebook followers. Police maintain that he was armed and “mentally unsound,” but the family and witnesses dispute the official account.
