Who was Bharat Bhushan Tiwari whose death in police encounter triggered massive outrage, matter reaches SC
PTC News Desk: The death of 26-year-old Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in a police encounter in Bihar's Bhojpur district has triggered an uproar with questions being raised over the use over the use of police force prompting demands for an independent investigation.
According to media reports, the controversy has now reached the Supreme Court even as the Bihar government has ordered a judicial probe into the incident.
Bharat Tiwari, a resident of Bilauti village in Bhojpur district's Shahpur area, was widely known in the region for raising issues such as flooding, riverbank erosion and displacement through social media platforms. Family members say he had no criminal background and regularly used Facebook to draw attention to local public concerns.
According to the police, Tiwari was carrying an illegal firearm and opened fire on officers when they tried to apprehend him on June 17. Police officials maintain that they responded in self-defence, during which Tiwari sustained gunshot injuries and later died while undergoing treatment.
His family and local villagers, however, dispute the police account. They allege that Tiwari had already surrendered before he was shot, claiming he discarded his weapon and posed no threat at the time. They further point to videos circulating on social media that they say indicate he was unarmed when police fired at him.
The matter has now reached the Supreme Court, where a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed seeking a CBI probe into the incident. The petition also calls for an FIR to be registered against the police personnel involved and for an independent panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to supervise the investigation. It contends that if Tiwari had surrendered as alleged, the use of deadly force could amount to an extrajudicial killing.
The incident has triggered a political storm, with opposition parties and civil society organisations demanding a fair, transparent and impartial inquiry into the circumstances that led to Bharat Tiwari's death.
- With inputs from agencies
