NEW DELHI: A Special Task Force (STF) jawan has been arrested in connection with the controversial police encounter that killed 28-year-old Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in Bihar’s Bhojpur district last month, officials said on Friday.Ara Superintendent of Police Raj said the arrested police personnel had been identified as Akshay. The arrest was carried out jointly by Bhojpur Police and the STF.“The police personnel involved in the Bharat Tiwari encounter case has been arrested. Further legal proceedings are underway, and the investigation is continuing in accordance with the law,” the SP said.Tiwari was killed during a police operation on June 17 after a standoff with local police and STF personnel. Police have maintained that he fired eight to ten rounds at officers with an illegal pistol, forcing them to retaliate in self-defence.However, the encounter sparked widespread controversy after a Facebook Live video, recorded shortly before the shooting, appeared to show Tiwari throwing away his pistol towards police personnel. His family has alleged that he had surrendered and was unarmed when he was shot, claims the police have denied.Following complaints from Tiwari’s family, Bihar Police registered an FIR against the Jagdishpur Deputy Superintendent of Police, the Shahpur Station House Officer and other police personnel over the alleged wrongful killing. The state government has also ordered a judicial inquiry headed by a retired High Court judge, while a Deputy Inspector General has been tasked with supervising the criminal investigation.
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Four police personnel, including the Shahpur SHO, were earlier suspended pending the outcome of the probe.Tiwari’s family had been demanding the arrest of the officers allegedly involved, withdrawal of cases registered against villagers after the incident and security for the family. His mother, Asha Devi, had also launched an indefinite hunger strike, saying it would continue until those named by the family, including STF jawan Akshay, were arrested.The case has triggered political controversy in Bihar, with opposition parties demanding accountability as the judicial and police investigations continue.
