Bihar activist Bharat Tiwari's family demands justice after police encounter, Union minister pledges action

Student activist Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, 28, was shot dead by Bihar police in a controversial encounter on 17 June 2023 in Bhojpur district. His family alleges the Special Task Force and local officers fired on an unarmed man who had already surrendered, and they have called for the arrest of Jagdishpur DSP Rajesh Sharma, Shahpur SHO Rajesh Kumar Mallkar, SI Ankit Aryan and STF jawan Akshay Kumar, as well as the withdrawal of false cases and protective security. The family has begun an indefinite hunger strike demanding these steps.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan met the Tiwari relatives on 3 July, assuring them that the perpetrators would be arrested quickly and that he would raise the matter with the Bihar chief minister. Paswan condemned the killing as unacceptable and promised swift, strict punishment for the officers involved.