BHARAT HAD SURRENDERED, YET THE POLICE TOOK HIM 50 METERS AWAY AND SHOT DEAD--EYEWITNESS

BHARAT HAD SURRENDERED, YET THE POLICE TOOK HIM 50 METERS AWAY AND SHOT DEAD--EYEWITNESS

14-JULY-ENG 13

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------The judicial inquiry into the high-profile Bharat Tiwari encounter case in Bihar is progressing steadily. On Monday, three key witnesses recorded their statements before the judicial inquiry commission. These included the deceased's sister-in-law, Suman Devi, and Satyanarayan Chaudhary and Mantu Kamkar, who claim to be eyewitnesses. All three accused the police administration of staging a fake encounter.

The three witnesses presented their respective versions of the incident before the commission's chairman, retired Judge Vinod Kumar Sinha. Speaking to the media after her testimony, Suman Devi stated that she had provided the commission with all the facts regarding the incident. She mentioned that the commission questioned her in detail about the sequence of events, the police officers involved, and other aspects.

Suman Devi said the inquiry commission chairman assured her that justice would be served after the conclusion of the hearings. She noted that she was questioned for about an hour and a half. Expressing faith in the judicial inquiry process, she demanded strict action against those found guilty.

"I have named everyone—the SDM, the DSP, the Malakar SHO, and Akshay Kumar from the STF. I told the judge that a patriot was shot five times. These people deserve a punishment so severe that it makes one's soul tremble; they should be hanged."—Suman Devi, Bharat Tiwari's sister-in-law.

Meanwhile, another witness, Satyanarayan Chaudhary, also recorded his statement before the commission. Speaking to the media, he claimed he told the commission exactly what he had witnessed at the time of the incident. He stated that the commission questioned him in detail about the event, and he recounted the entire sequence of events based on his knowledge.

The eyewitness claimed that when the administration assured Bharat Tiwari that his demands would be met, he threw down his weapon; however, despite this, the police apprehended him, took him 50 meters away, and shot him. Satya Narayan Chaudhary stated that 30 to 35 police and administrative personnel were present when Bharat was killed in the alleged encounter.

"Bharat threw down his weapon in front of the Sub-Inspector. Later, he was apprehended, taken away, and shot. They took him about 50 meters away before killing him. There were 30–35 officials present at the time. I have conveyed all these details to the judge." – Satya Narayan Chaudhary, eyewitness.

In fact, on June 17, the Bhojpur police shot Bharat Tiwari in an alleged encounter in Bilauti village, under the jurisdiction of the Shahpur police station. His family alleges that he had already discarded his weapon, yet he was shot at close range. The police, however, claim that they were forced to open fire in self-defense. A judicial inquiry commission has been tasked with conducting an impartial investigation into the matter.