CABINET APPROVES FORMATION OF JUDICIAL INQUIRY

CABINET APPROVES FORMATION OF JUDICIAL INQUIRY

25-JUNE-ENG 17

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------The Bihar government appears to be in a tight spot regarding the encounter of Bharat Tiwari in Bhojpur. On June 17, the police shot Bharat Tiwari during an encounter; he subsequently died while undergoing treatment. Following his death, questions were raised regarding the police encounter. Meanwhile, the 'Samrat' government of Bihar has taken action in the Bharat Tiwari encounter case by removing Jagdishpur SDPO Rajesh Sharma and assigning the responsibility to Pankaj Mishra. Additionally, a *Mahapanchayat* (grand assembly) is being organized on Wednesday in Bharat Tiwari's village, Bilauti; people from various states across the country are participating in the event to present their demands to the government. The Cabinet has approved the constitution of a judicial inquiry commission headed by a retired judge of the Patna High Court. Vinod Kumar Sinha will lead the commission.

Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD President Lalu Yadav, has questioned the Bihar government's order for a judicial inquiry into the Bharat Tiwari encounter case. She stated that the failure to make Bharat Tiwari's post-mortem report public so far raises several serious questions. She alleged that the judicial inquiry process could be lengthy, potentially delaying the accountability of those responsible for this heinous killing. In my opinion, this order for a judicial inquiry is merely an attempt by the government to quell public outrage.

Meanwhile, she met Bharat Tiwari's family. Addressing the issue of the encounter, she declared that if the government fails to take action within 15 days, a crowd even larger than the one gathered here today for the 'Nyay Mahapanchayat' (Justice Grand Assembly) would assemble outside Samrat's residence to launch a protest.

Upon arriving in Bilauti, Prashant Kishor stated that Bharat Bhushan Tiwari would only receive justice if action is taken against those who issued the order for his killing from Patna. The state's leader must explain the statement he made—claiming the DGP had informed him about a youth pointing a gun at the police. You might recall Samrat Chaudhary asking how anyone could dare to point a gun at our police force; that was Samrat Chaudhary's statement. He further added...

Speaking in Ara regarding the Bharat Tiwari 'Nyay Mahapanchayat', Bihar Minister Jama Khan said, "I do not wish to speak about the opposition. I only know that our government remains committed to the entire state and works for every section of society. The government has taken—and will continue to take—action against both the perpetrators of injustice and those who suffer it."