Bihar cop suspended after video shows AK-47 firing at NEET protesters in Siwan

What we can verify

• Video evidence: A widely circulated video from Saturday (26 July) shows a uniformed policeman in Siwan district raising an AK-47 assault rifle and firing in the air while a crowd of NEET-paper-leak protesters and police personnel clash near Gandhi Maidan.

• Suspension confirmed: Siwan Superintendent of Police Puran Kumar Jha told The Indian Express on Sunday that “an SIT officer has been suspended” after the footage emerged. The suspended officer was part of the special investigation team deployed for bandh duty.

• Firing tally: Jha confirmed eight to ten rounds were discharged from the police side — four from long-range weapons and three from pistols — with the remainder under investigation. The AK-47 bursts seen in the video account for the long-range rounds.

• Injuries: Three civilians sustained bullet injuries. One, Bullet Kumar Gond, a resident of Dumrahar Buzurg village, suffered a through-and-through gunshot wound to the leg while heading to the District Magistrate’s office for caste and income certificates. The other two — identified as Akash and Arif — were hit in the shoulder and neck-shoulder region respectively. All three are reported stable.

• Police version: SP Jha stated that protesters “directly attacked police and damaged government and public property,” prompting baton charges, tear gas, and aerial firing. He said 58 police personnel were injured and 423 people taken into custody across Siwan.

• Internet suspension: The Bihar Home Department ordered a 24-hour shutdown of social media and messaging platforms in Siwan district (5:30 pm 25 Jul – 5:30 pm 26 Jul) under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, citing apprehension of “anti-social elements” using networks to incite further violence.

What remains unverified

• Whether the two additional bullet injuries (Akash, Arif) were caused by police rounds or by other gunfire in the melee — the SP explicitly said it is “unclear” and under investigation.

• The exact sequence that led the suspended officer to chamber and fire the AK-47 (provocation, orders, or indiscipline) — no departmental inquiry report has been released.

• Whether any protester was armed or returned fire — police have not produced evidence of firearms recovered from demonstrators.

Context

The Siwan violence erupted during a statewide bandh called by student groups and opposition parties against the NEET-UG paper leak and the July 20 police crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) sit-in at Jantar Mantar, Delhi. Similar clashes were reported in Patna, Chhapra and other districts, though most demonstrations remained peaceful. The incident has intensified opposition demands for accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who controls Delhi Police, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over state police conduct.