Bihar police arrest STF officer in Bharat Tiwari encounter case

On July 31, the Special Task Force (STF) soldier Akshay Kumar was taken into custody by the Ara police in Bihar, marking the first arrest linked to the controversial Bharat Tiwari encounter.

The arrest follows a June 17 incident in Bhojpur district where 28‑year‑old Bharat Bhushan Tiwari was killed during a police operation that his family alleges was a staged encounter. Tiwari’s mother, Asha Devi, has begun a hunger strike and is demanding the arrest of additional officers, including Jagdishpur DSP Rajesh Sharma and Shahpur SHO Rajesh Kumar Mallkar. The Bihar government has set up a judicial commission to investigate, and further legal actions are ongoing.