Grief And Anger In Bilauti As Thousands Rally To Demand Answers in Bharat Tiwari Encounter Case
Patna: All roads led to the Bilauti village in Bhojpur district on Wednesday as thousands of people thronged the native place of mentally distressed social activist Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, who was allegedly shot dead in cold blood by the police after his surrender on June 17.
Many of them carried the national flag. People had come to the village in Shahpur block to participate in a tribute –cum–mahapanchayat (grand assembly or meeting) to demand justice for him, seek the resolution of the issues pertaining to the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people for whom he was fighting, and punishment for the police officials involved in the allegedly fake encounter.
Posters and banners bearing the photograph of Bharat welcomed them right from the Ara– Buxar four-lane expressway (National Highway – 922) to Bilauti. The mahapanchayat was convened by 'Shaheed Bharat Tiwari Sangharsh Samiti', a committee formed to seek justice for him.
People from far-flung areas of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi, and other places arrived on foot, motorcycles, cars, and in bigger vehicles to participate in the meeting and discuss the future course of action. They raised slogans against the state government and the administration.
Representatives of various socio-religious organisations, including Karni Sena, Parshuram Sena, Hindu Mahasabha, Brahman Mahasabha, and Hindu Jagaran Manch, also participated in the mahapanchayat.The family members, villagers, and residents of neighbouring villages were also present at the mahapanchayat. Though several leaders cutting across party lines have already paid a visit to Bilauti, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor visited there today and participated in the meeting.
Mahapanchayat Over Bharat’s KillingThe assembly of people from different places and walks of life betrayed that the anger over the killing of Bharat was refusing to subside and was gathering further momentum, with the potential of turning into a mass movement.Bharat’s father, Kashi Nath Tiwari, wept inconsolably at the meeting. The people present there consoled him. He demanded justice for his son and sat there grieving his death."My elder brother was fighting for the people. Their problems should be resolved. We want the government to resolve them as soon as possible. Moreover, strong action should be taken against the police personnel involved in murdering him in the name of an encounter," Bharat’s younger brother Chandan Tiwari said at the mahapanchayat.
Many of them carried the national flag. People had come to the village in Shahpur block to participate in a tribute –cum–mahapanchayat (grand assembly or meeting) to demand justice for him, seek the resolution of the issues pertaining to the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people for whom he was fighting, and punishment for the police officials involved in the allegedly fake encounter.
Posters and banners bearing the photograph of Bharat welcomed them right from the Ara– Buxar four-lane expressway (National Highway – 922) to Bilauti. The mahapanchayat was convened by 'Shaheed Bharat Tiwari Sangharsh Samiti', a committee formed to seek justice for him.
People from far-flung areas of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi, and other places arrived on foot, motorcycles, cars, and in bigger vehicles to participate in the meeting and discuss the future course of action. They raised slogans against the state government and the administration.
Representatives of various socio-religious organisations, including Karni Sena, Parshuram Sena, Hindu Mahasabha, Brahman Mahasabha, and Hindu Jagaran Manch, also participated in the mahapanchayat.The family members, villagers, and residents of neighbouring villages were also present at the mahapanchayat. Though several leaders cutting across party lines have already paid a visit to Bilauti, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor visited there today and participated in the meeting.
Mahapanchayat Over Bharat’s KillingThe assembly of people from different places and walks of life betrayed that the anger over the killing of Bharat was refusing to subside and was gathering further momentum, with the potential of turning into a mass movement.Bharat’s father, Kashi Nath Tiwari, wept inconsolably at the meeting. The people present there consoled him. He demanded justice for his son and sat there grieving his death."My elder brother was fighting for the people. Their problems should be resolved. We want the government to resolve them as soon as possible. Moreover, strong action should be taken against the police personnel involved in murdering him in the name of an encounter," Bharat’s younger brother Chandan Tiwari said at the mahapanchayat.