AK-47 firing row: Bihar transfers Siwan SP, 17 senior IPS officers reshuffled

The Bihar government has transferred Siwan Superintendent of Police (SP) Puran Kumar Jha amid the controversy surrounding an AK-47 being fired by a police constable during student protests in the district on July 25.

Jha is among 17 senior IPS officers transferred by the state government in a major reshuffle announced on Tuesday. Bharat Soni has been appointed as the new Siwan SP, while Jha has been placed on the waiting list for a fresh posting.

The constable accused of firing the rifle, Abhishek Kumar, had already been suspended following the incident.

What happened during the Siwan protest?

The AK-47 controversy stems from an incident near JP Chowk in Siwan on July 25. According to the Bihar government's affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court, Kumar was surrounded by protesters during the confrontation.

The state said he "got trapped in the crowd" and fired four rounds from his AK-47 "in the air" to deal with the situation.

The government has maintained that none of the protesters was injured by those four rounds. However, its affidavit acknowledges that three protesters suffered minor firearm injuries during the police action that day.

The state has disputed any link between those injuries and Kumar's rifle, saying the three injured protesters were not present at the spot where the AK-47 was fired.

Tejashwi questions how constable got AK-47

The incident has also triggered questions over how a constable deployed for crowd control came to be carrying an AK-47.

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav questioned which police unit or armoury issued the weapon and who authorised its deployment.

He also raised questions about the command chain involved in handing over a modern firearm such as an AK-47 to a constable during a student protest.

The state's affidavit also mentions another firing incident during the protests. Assistant Sub-Inspector Nilesh Kumar Singh allegedly fired two rounds from his 9mm pistol near Hathi Chowk while attempting to disperse the crowd.

Bhojpur SP also transferred

The reshuffle also saw the transfer of Bhojpur SP, where an encounter involving local activist Bharat Tiwari had triggered controversy.

According to the government circular, Awadesh Dikshit has been appointed as the new SP of Bhojpur.

The Bihar government has maintained before the Supreme Court that police exercised restraint during the protests and did not use disproportionate force against demonstrators.