Bhojpur encounter: Youth dies due to police firing, villagers and family are making serious allegations against the police

Author, Preeti Prabha

Designation, from Bhojpur for BBC Hindi

Published 21 minutes ago

Reading Time: 8 minutes

"Whatever Bharat did, but when he surrendered with the weapon, then what was the need for the police to shoot him?"

Bharat Paswan, sitting in the village hall, said this with sadness. It was afternoon time, in the scorching heat and hot air, a little cool breeze was coming from the banswadi around the corridor, but the questions of many elders sitting with Bharat Paswan were burning like embers.

"When the police described Bharat Bhushan as 'mentally unwell', why did he encounter him just a day later?"

Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, a 26-year-old youth from Biloti village of Shahpur police station area of ​​Bhojpur district, died during treatment after an alleged police encounter on June 17.

According to the press release issued by Bhojpur SP regarding this matter, "The police team had fired a bullet for the safety of itself and the people, which hit Bharat Bhushan's leg."

But the people of the village are saying that the incident and the police's claim are different.

The villagers say that "In the live broadcast done by Bharat Bhushan from his Facebook account before being shot, it is clearly visible that he had thrown his pistol towards the police and a policeman had also picked up that pistol, then how could he open fire on the police?"

Judicial inquiry announced but family not satisfied

After this incident, many questions are being raised regarding the working style, negligence and action of the police.

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However, three days after the incident, the administration took action and suspended five policemen including the Shahpur police station incharge. Also, on Tuesday, on the application of Bharat's mother Asha Devi, an FIR for murder has been registered against the concerned SDPO, SHO and other policemen. However, no accused policeman has been arrested yet.

Apart from this, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has announced to conduct a judicial inquiry by a retired judge of the High Court.

Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary wrote on his

Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Sudhanshu Kumar, who appeared before the media for the first time on June 22 after the Bharat Tiwari encounter, considered it to be negligence on the part of the police.

He said, "The policemen who went to talk to him on June 16, before the encounter, could not handle him properly."

Bharat's family does not seem satisfied with this action of the administration and the government.

His father Kashinath Tiwari says, "When I reached Shahpur police station to talk to the police about the activities of my son Bharat with his pistol, the police kept me in their custody from morning till evening. I kept requesting to go home again and again, kept demanding to talk to my family on the phone, but no one listened."

Kashinath further says that he saw with his own eyes the policemen wearing bulletproof jackets. Who knew that he would return and tell the news of his son's death.

Bharat's mother Asha Devi says that her son was shot in front of her eyes.

She says crying, "Even a goon is not killed like this. My son was innocent and a social worker. First he was killed with the butt of the rifle, then he was shot. What is this rule of the government? They shot in front of me. I and my daughter-in-law were standing there. The STF was surrounded from all sides. The DSP was also there."

"When we went there, the DSP said to kill these people too, lathi charge both of us, we both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were lathicharged. There were two ladies police. After that they started firing on Bharat Bhushan. First they told Bharat that you have three demands, they will be fulfilled. My son was demanding to fill the soil for the people of Javainiya village, who have been settled in a pit by the government."

He further said, "Bharat told the policemen, okay, my demand is being fulfilled so keep this pistol. But the police took the pistol and then started firing."

Most of Bharat's videos showed his anger against the administration. A few days ago too, he had expressed his displeasure over the manner of government functioning in a Facebook post and had talked about 'encountering' a police officer.

After the video went viral, the local police reached his house. Even after the police arrived, Bharat did a Facebook live, in which Bharat Bhushan's mother is also seen explaining to her son along with the police. Police say that they tried to convince Bharat Tiwari, but Bharat took out the pistol. Due to this attitude of Bharat Bhushan, the police had declared him mentally unwell.

Was Bharat Bhushan mentally unwell?

On this question, Ganeshji of the village says, "Bharat was a good child, despite being a little short-tempered and over-enthusiastic, he was always ready to help people. Whenever he went to the administration regarding basic issues like roads, electricity and water, his words were not heard. He was young, hot-blooded. His fight and anger was with the corrupt system. He made the mistake of taking up arms, but when Bharat surrendered, why did the police kill him?"

At a distance of about two kilometers from Biloti village is Javainiya village, which is barely a month old.

Shahpur, 14 kos away from Biloti, this village got merged into the river due to erosion last year. The homeless people were forced to live with their families in huts built on the dam.

Bihar government gave them land to live in Shahpur and each family got one lakh twenty thousand rupees to build a house. Since the people of Jawainiya village are settling there, the name of the village also came to be Jawainiya.

Bharat was shot by the police at the entrance of this village. Blood stains are still visible.

Tetri Devi of the village cries and says, "First of all, the government has cheated us, it has taken us out of the water and put us in the water. The river is very close from here. When the water fills, then this entire area also gets submerged. There is about four to five feet pit here. In case of flood or water logging, water will enter people's houses. There are small children here. There is also a possibility of drowning. Bharat is planning to fill this pit. Was demanding continuously. But the police killed him. Now who will listen to our pain?

Sabita Devi, 24, says, "Our grief is not diminishing. Our house was washed away. We stayed on the dam for 10 months. We settled here, but there is no employment. There was satisfaction that there will be a roof over our heads. Not even 20 days have passed since this village was settled. On the initiative of Bharat, we got the facility of handpump and electricity but now that too has been killed. Who will talk to us now?"

FIR against father and brother, silence on mother's complaint

Two FIRs have been registered against Bharat Bhushan Tiwari for waving his pistol and blocking the road with the dead body after his alleged encounter.

In an FIR lodged on June 17, Bharat Bhushan Tiwari's father Kashinath Tiwari and younger brother Chandan Tiwari have been made accused.