Archive · 7 Aug 2026
PUCL Bihar Calls Bhojpur Encounter 'Planned Killing,' Wants Independent Probe
A young man named Bharat Bhushan Tiwari lived in a village in Bihar, India, and helped families who lost their homes because the Ganga river was washing away their land.
On June 17, police shot and killed him during what they called an encounter.
A group called PUCL, which protects people's rights, says this was a planned killing, not an accident or self-defense.
Police say Tiwari fired at them first with many bullets.
But PUCL says police only found two empty bullet shells at the spot, which does not match that story.
Tiwari's mother says he had already put down his weapon and given up before he was shot.
The doctors found five bullet wounds on his body.
The government has started a special investigation, but PUCL wants a completely separate agency to look into the case.
They also want the accused police officers arrested and help for the families who lost their homes.
PUCL Bihar alleges Bharat Bhushan Tiwari's death in a Bhojpur police encounter on June 17 was a 'planned killing' and demands an independent agency probe.
PUCL's fact-finding team says only two empty cartridge cases were found at the site, contradicting the police claim that Tiwari fired 10-12 rounds.
The post-mortem recorded five bullet wounds, and a FIR filed by Tiwari's mother states he had surrendered and thrown down his weapon before being shot.
Two FIRs (169/26 and 170/26) filed by the same SHO hours apart contain inconsistencies, according to the PUCL report.
A judicial commission under retired Patna High Court judge Justice Vinod Kumar Singh is probing the encounter but has not yet submitted its report.
- Who
- Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, a local activist from Jobinia village; People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Bihar; the Bihar government
- What
- PUCL alleges Tiwari was killed in a 'planned' police encounter in Bhojpur and demands an independent investigation
- When
- Encounter on June 17; PUCL fact-finding team visited the site on June 25-26
- Where
- Bilauti village under Shahpur police station, Bhojpur district, Bihar
- Why
- Tiwari had raised grievances of families displaced by Ganga erosion and alleged irregularities in development funds
PUCL and Tiwari family
Police account
Was the shooting justified?
PUCL and Tiwari family
Tiwari had already surrendered and thrown down his weapon before being shot, making the encounter a planned killing.
Police account
Police maintain it was a legitimate encounter in which Tiwari opened fire, firing 10-12 rounds at them.
Evidence of shots fired
PUCL and Tiwari family
The seizure list records only two empty cartridge cases from the site, contradicting the claim that Tiwari fired 10-12 rounds.
Police account
Police FIRs state that Tiwari fired 10-12 rounds during the encounter.
Independence of the investigation
PUCL and Tiwari family
The STF, normally used against organised crime and terrorism, was deployed against an unarmed activist, so an independent agency must probe the killing.
Police account
The Bihar government has constituted a judicial commission under a retired Patna High Court judge to investigate the encounter.
- Victim
- Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, a local activist from Jobinia village
- Encounter date
- June 17, 2026
- Location
- Bilauti village, Shahpur police station, Bhojpur district, Bihar
- Post-mortem findings
- Five bullet wounds (legs, thigh, and scrotum)
- Evidence at site
- Two empty cartridge cases found; police claimed Tiwari fired 10-12 rounds
- Prior criminal record
- One prior case (Shahpur PS case 73/25) from a scuffle during a land-dispute inquiry
- Probe body
- Judicial commission headed by retired Patna High Court judge Justice Vinod Kumar Singh
- PUCL demands
- Independent agency probe, arrest of accused, removal of DSP Rajesh Sharma, rehabilitation of displaced families