Patna: Taking cognizance of a plea seeking a fair and transparent probe into the alleged fake encounter of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari at Bilauti village of Bhojpur district, the Patna high court on Thursday directed the state govt to file a detailed reply within three weeks.Hearing a criminal writ petition filed by Asha Devi, mother of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, a single bench of Justice Arun Kumar Jha also ordered the police department to ensure foolproof preservation of all electronic, digital and other evidence related to the case. An FIR has been lodged against police officers and personnel on murder charges.Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Amit Kumar told the court that Bharat Bhushan Tiwari was allegedly killed in a fake police encounter on June 17. He submitted that a substantial portion of the incident was livestreamed by Bharat on social media. According to the plea, Bharat sustained multiple bullet injuries shortly after the live broadcast ended and later succumbed to them the same evening.The petition further alleged that despite the registration of an FIR naming police officers in the murder case, the investigation was progressing at a slow pace, allegedly to shield those involved. Kumar argued that the victim had no criminal antecedents and that his family had lost faith in the state police’s ability to conduct an impartial investigation.Expressing apprehension of a compromised probe and possible attempts to suppress facts, the petitioner sought a CBI investigation into the case. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on August 28.
