image source, Preeti Prabha
image caption, Bharat Tiwari is considered a rural social worker (file photo)….IN
The Bharat Bhushan Tiwari ‘encounter’ case from Bihar’s Bhojpur district is constantly in the headlines.
Bharat Tiwari’s Facebook Live, surrender application and judicial inquiry order have transformed the incident from a ‘fake meeting’ into a ‘Raj meeting’ debate.
In such a situation, the question arises as to who was Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, whose “meeting” raised serious questions politically and legally.
Our attempt was to understand this issue in the Jawaini village of Shahpur.
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At the entrance of the village there is a large board with a photograph of Bharat Tiwari. On which is written: “Shaheed Bharat Nagar Javinia, your sacrifice will always be remembered.”
Locals say that people kept this name in honor of Bharat Tiwari.
This is the same village where Bharat Tiwari was “met” by the police on June 17, after which he died during treatment.
However, according to a press release issued by Bhojpur SP, “the police team for the safety of themselves and the people fired a bullet which hit Bharat Bhushan’s leg.”
Residents of Javainiya village call this police statement incorrect.
These villagers say that if Bharat Tiwari had not raised his voice for this village, perhaps the issues of rehabilitation, electricity and water would not have come to the fore.
Many villagers, while talking to us, state, “Bharat sacrificed his life for our demand.”
image source, Ganesha
image caption, A general meeting was called for Bharat Bhushan’s meeting.
There is a public school on the Ara-Bukhar national highway in the village of Biloti, about two kilometers from Javainiya. Opposite is the one-storey Bharata house under construction.
Thousands of social workers, villagers, media representatives and leaders of various parties continue to come here to meet their parents.
On the veranda of the house, Bharat’s 70-year-old father Kashinath Tiwari, despite being surrounded by a crowd, appears unconscious due to the shock of his son’s death.
At the same time, Bharat’s mother, 57-year-old Asha Devi, crying in a room at home among village women and relatives, says the same thing over and over again: “The police shot my son in front of me, even a terrorist is not killed like that. My son was a social worker. Why did the police kill him?
Bharat’s elder brother, 35-year-old Vasant Tiwari, sitting on the veranda of the house, silently looks at his mother and father with tears in his eyes along with his younger brother.
Vasant Tiwari remembers his brother that Bharat was the most talented among his four siblings. He studied up to B.Sc from Ara College and also prepared for competitive exams.
He said, “Bharat decided not to marry for the sake of social service. To ensure that no one forces him into marriage, Bharat voluntarily performed Pind Daan about 10 years ago and also promised to donate his organs.”
Villager Vinay Kumar says, “He had a fearless, playful mind and young blood that flowed in all streams. He was full of enthusiasm, but he spoke the right words and worked only for the good of society.”
Did Bharat Bhushan Tiwari have a criminal record?
image source, Preeti Prabha
image caption, In memory of Bharat Bhushan, a shield has been erected in the village of Javainiyan.
Although Bharat Bhushan had no criminal record, Inspector Ramashankar Baitha of Shahpur police station filed a case against him on March 24, 2025, last year.
According to this FIR, “When Bharat Bhushan Tiwari asked for documents related to the land dispute, he grabbed Inspector Ramashankar Baita by the collar and pushed him.”
The FIR also mentions injuries to two constables.
In this case, besides various sections of the Indian Judicial Code (BNS), a case has also been registered under the SC/ST Act.
Bharat Tiwari has been posting posts on his Facebook account raising local issues and questioning the government and in many posts he has raised the issue of Jawainiyan village.
In a Facebook post, he expressed dissatisfaction with the way the government was being run and described an “encounter” with an officer.
After his post went viral, local police came to his home. Police claim that they also tried to convince Bharat Tiwari but he (Bharat) took out a gun.
Bharat Tiwari conducted 10 live broadcasts on Facebook from the night of June 16 to the morning of June 17. This includes videos of police surrounding his home, Bharat waving a gun at police and the alleged confrontation.
He had 6000 followers on Facebook, but after June 16, the number grew to 2 lakh 49 thousand by the time of writing the news.
image source, Ganesha
image caption, Bharat Bhushan met Dhirendra Shastri in 2023.
Videos containing messages and biographies of Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi as well as Nelson Mandela can be seen on Bharat Tiwari’s Facebook page.
He calls himself a fan of UP CM Yogi Adityanath and is influenced by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He shared gun-related videos on his social media.
In 2023, he walked from Bhojpur in Bihar to Bageshwar Dham. During this journey, many of his videos and photographs went viral on social media. Here he met Dhirendra Krishna Sastri.
What is the history of Jawainiyan village?
image source, Preeti Prabha
image caption, Jawaniyan village of Shahpur block was merged with the Ganga river due to severe erosion and flooding in July last year, now some families have been given land as part of the restoration.
Villager Vinay Kumar said Jawainian village of Shahpur block was merged with the Ganga river due to severe erosion and floods in July last year.
This tragedy destroyed more than 350 homes and left more than 1,500 people homeless in one night. Then in the first batch for rehabilitation, about 70 villagers were given land by the Bihar government to live in Shahpur.
The villagers say that Bharat Tiwari has raised the issue of rehabilitation loudly on social media and hence they feel very connected to Bharat.
Villagers say Bharat was “greeted” at the entrance to the village.
Tetri Devi from the village cries and says: “First of all, the government deceived us, they pulled us out of the water and threw us into the water. The river is very close from here. When the water fills, this entire area also floods. In the event of a flood or inundation, water will enter people’s homes, there are small children there, and there is a risk of drowning. Bharat constantly demanded that this pit be filled, but the police killed him.”
Tried to talk to Bhojpur District Magistrate Tanay Sultaniya over phone regarding the villagers’ allegations, but his response is yet to come. Once a response is received, it will be included in this report.
Bharat’s friend and village resident Ganesh says, “Unfortunately, no one supported him while he was alive. This poor guy continued to fight the administration alone.”
Play video “What did Bharat Tiwari’s family and villagers say about his alleged ‘meeting’?”, duration 7.3207:32
video caption, What did Bharat Tiwari’s family and villagers say about his alleged “meeting”?
What has happened so far in this case?
As the ‘encounter’ case gained momentum, the administration took action three days after the incident and suspended five policemen, including the in-charge of Shahpur police station.
Moreover, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has decided to conduct a judicial inquiry by a retired High Court judge for an independent and impartial probe.
Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Sudhanshu Kumar, who appeared before the media for the first time on June 22 after the Bharat Tiwari clash, considered it negligence on the part of the police.
He said: “The police who came to speak to him on June 16, before the collision, failed to deal with him properly.”
In this case, the then Shahpur police station in-charge Rajesh Malakar filed a case against Bharat’s father Kashinath Tiwari and his minor brother, accusing them of protecting Bharat and knowing about the illegal weapons.
The FIR stated that many videos of Bharat holding the pistol have already gone viral on social media. Despite this, the family did not report to the police, giving the impression that they were both protecting Bharat by keeping illegal weapons.
Later, there were media reports that this FIR had been withdrawn. On this issue, Bharat Bhushan Tiwari’s elder brother Vasant Tiwari says, “So far, he has not received any written order or official document in this regard.”
In this regard, the BBC News Hindi team tried several times to speak to Bhojpur SP Raj and District Magistrate Tanay Sultania over phone but could not get a response from them. Once they receive a response, it will be added to this report.
Vasant Tiwari demands that if a name is excluded from the case, then written evidence must be submitted. He also demanded that this case be investigated not by a retired judge, but by a sitting judge.
Published by the BBC News Team.