Ashoke Pandit slams cops involved in Bharat Tiwari encounter: ‘His family deserves answers, nation deserves truth’

Mumbai, June 25 (IANS) Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit has lashed out at the policemen involved in the encounter of activist Bharat Tiwari. On Wednesday, Ashoke Pandit shared a video in which he criticised the action of the Bihar police.

He said, “Bharat Tiwari should have been protected, not mourned. A mother’s tears are not just grief; they are a painful reminder of a system that failed her son. No nation should remain silent when a citizen who dedicated his life to serving people is lost under such tragic circumstances. If those in power could have prevented this, then an apology is owed, not just to Bharat’s family, but to every citizen who still believes that humanity and justice matter”.

He further mentioned, “Justice cannot stop at suspensions. It must reach every individual responsible, directly or indirectly, and ensure accountability at every level. A society is judged by how it protects those who stand for others. Bharat Tiwari deserved protection. His family deserves answers. The nation deserves the truth”.

He also shared that the top brass of the law and order machinery of the state are involved in this, and they should be brought to justice.

Bharat Tiwari, who called himself a revolutionary inspired by Bhagat Singh, was killed in an encounter by the Bihar police. The encounter was live-streamed, and has drawn sharp reactions from people. He built a following by raising local issues, and dreamt of becoming a police officer.

He livestreamed a two-day standoff with Bihar Police to over 1.6 lakh followers. On June 17, 2026, the 28-year-old was killed in a police encounter. Police say Tiwari opened fire and was shot in self-defence. His family claims he had surrendered moments before he was killed, pointing to footage from his final Facebook Live.

The police said that they fired on Tiwari in “self-defence” and Tiwari died when he was being transported to the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH). There were contradictions between the versions of the local people and the police, fuelling outrage across Bihar and unending streams of debates in the media and local channels. Chief Minister of Bihar, Samrat Choudhary announced a high-level judicial probe into the incident on June 20.

–IANS

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