4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 19, 2026 04:45 AM IST
The Bihar government on Tuesday transferred the Superintendents of Police (SPs) of Siwan and Bhojpur as part of a reshuffle of 18 IPS officers, days after the two districts came under scrutiny over separate police actions.
According to a notification issued by the state Home Department, Siwan SP Puran Kumar Jha has been transferred and placed on the waiting list for a new posting. Bharat Soni, who was serving as SP of Nalanda, has been appointed the new Siwan SP.
The change comes less than a month after an incident during student protests in Siwan in which a policeman was seen firing an AK-47 in the air. The July 25 protests, held amid an agitation over the alleged NEET paper leak and earlier police action against students, turned violent, with clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel.
Three people had sustained bullet injuries and several police personnel, including Jha, were injured. The police subsequently registered three FIRs based on the injured civilians’ statements, while a constable seen using the AK-47 was subsequently suspended. However, police had made it clear that no one was injured in the aerial firing from the assault rifle.
Jha had said that around eight to 10 rounds were fired during the violence, including four rounds from the long-range weapons and three from pistols, while the source of the remaining firing was being investigated. He had also said it was not clear whether all three civilian injuries were caused by police firing.
Meanwhile, Bhojpur SP Raj has been transferred to Rohtas. Awadesh Dikshit, who was serving as SP (Personnel-1) at Bihar Police Headquarters, has been appointed the new Bhojpur SP.
The transfer follows the death of 28-year-old Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in a police encounter at Bilauti village on June 17. Tiwari had been at the centre of a two-day standoff with police and livestreamed parts of the confrontation on Facebook. He sustained gunshot injuries during the encounter and later died at Patna Medical College and Hospital.
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Police maintained that Tiwari was armed and that officers fired in self-defence after attempts to take him into custody peacefully failed. His family and some local residents, however, alleged that he had agreed to surrender before being shot. The competing accounts led to a judicial inquiry and a police investigation.
The case also saw the arrest of STF constable Akshay Kumar in July, the first arrest of a policeman in connection with Tiwari’s death for allegedly using excessive force.
The IPS reshuffle includes several other changes. Hriday Kant, who was serving with the Anti-Terrorist Squad, has been appointed SP of Nalanda. Roshan Kumar has been transferred from Rohtas and posted as Senior SP, Saran.
Rajesh Kumar, a 2016-batch officer, has been transferred from his present posting as SP, Cyber Investigation and Operations in Economic Offences Unit, and posted as SP of ANTF, Prohibition and State Narcotics Control Bureau.
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Meanwhile, Sushil Kumar, a 2012-batch officer, has been given additional charge as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Human Rights, Bihar, Patna. He is currently posted as DIG, Legal Affairs and Rules, Bihar, Patna.
The government had also carried out a major IAS reshuffle hours earlier, transferring 17 officers, including the district magistrates of Siwan and Bhojpur. Siwan DM Vivek Ranjan Maitrey was placed on the waiting list for posting, as Vijay Prakash Meena replaced him. Meanwhile, Manesh Kumar Meena was appointed Bhojpur DM, replacing Tanay Sultania, who has been made Sitamarhi DM.
