Bharat Bhushan Tiwari (28) who died on June 17, 2026, in an alleged encounter with Bihar’s Bhojpur police is no longer recognised by his name. In his village of Bilauti, under Shahpur block, villagers guide even unknown people to his house. One man says, “Aap hamare gaon ke Bhagat Singh ka ghar dhoondh rahe hai kaya?” (Are you looking for the house of the Bhagat Singh of our village).Bharat’s under-construction, single-storey house is located opposite a government school, on the Ara-Buxar National Highway. There are over 1,000 people who have come to commiserate with his parents: villagers, members of the media, social activists, political leaders cutting across party lines. Despite people coming and going, Bharat’s father, Kashinath Tiwari (70), is asleep on the veranda, exhausted from the trauma of his son’s death. His mother, Asha Devi (55), is inside the house, crying. A daughter-in-law supports her, offering her water. His older brother, Basant Tiwari (35), his head shaved, sits in Bharat’s room. Through the door frame he looks at his mother, and tears fall.
Nameplate of Bilauti village seen on Ara-Buxar NH in Bhojpur district of Bihar, as crowd gathers in the backdrop at the house of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari.
