Bihar Police shake-up: 17 Senior IPS officers transferred after AK-47, encounter controversies

Bihar Moves 17 Senior IPS Officers in Wake of Police Controversies

Indiadailyupdate.com – In a sweeping administrative action carried out on Tuesday, the Bihar state government reshuffled its police leadership, transferring seventeen senior officers of the Indian Police Service. The move targeted districts where recent law-enforcement episodes had drawn sharp public and political criticism, most notably Siwan and Bhojpur.

The Siwan AK-47 Incident

The most visible trigger for the reshuffle was a July 25 student demonstration in Siwan, staged over alleged irregularities in the administration of NEET examinations. During that march, a video surfaced showing police constable Abhishek Kumar wielding an AK-47 rifle. The clip quickly went viral, and Kumar was subsequently suspended while departmental proceedings were opened against him.

The state government nonetheless stood by the constable’s conduct, explaining that he discharged rounds only after becoming “trapped and surrounded by protesters.” That defence did little to quiet the political storm that followed.

Siwan Superintendent of Police Pooran Kumar Jha, who was in command at the time of the protest, has been placed on the waiting list for a fresh posting, per a circular issued by the state Home Department. Bharat Soni now assumes the role of SP in Siwan.

Bhojpur Encounter and Further Transfers

The other district at the centre of the controversy is Bhojpur, where police action surrounding the encounter of local activist Bharat Tiwari had provoked widespread outcry. Bhojpur SP Raj has likewise been transferred. Awadesh Dikshit takes over as the new SP of Bhojpur, while Hriday Kant is posted as SP of Nalanda.

Political Fallout

The reshuffle landed just one day before a protest march organised by the RJD over the same issues. Party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has called for a march to the Lok Bhavan, branding the state government’s posture as a “dictatorial attitude” and accusing it of answering “democratic demands with bullets from an AK-47.”

In the Bihar Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav argued that punishing a single constable fell far short of accountability. He pressed for scrutiny of the chain of command above the constable:

“The constable has been suspended, but that is not enough. On whose orders was he able to carry an AK-47 rifle must be known, and those higher officials too must also be taken to task.”

The government’s decision to move seventeen senior officers simultaneously appears designed to answer that demand for broader institutional responsibility, even as the RJD’s planned march signals that the political dispute over the July 25 episode is far from settled.