Bihar Government Transfers 17 Officers After AK-47 Protest Incident

The Government of Bihar transferred 17 senior IPS officers on August 18, 2026, as part of a major police department reshuffle following controversies over police conduct. The reshuffle included the removal of Puran Kumar Jha, the Superintendent of Police for Siwan, who was placed on a waiting list. Bharat Soni was appointed as the new SP of Siwan, while other appointments were made in Bhojpur and Nalanda.

The transfers follow a July 25 student protest in Siwan led by the Cockroach Janta Party over exam paper leaks. The state informed the Supreme Court of India that Constable Abhishek Kumar fired four rounds from an AK-47 into the air after being trapped and surrounded by a crowd near JP Chowk. While the government claimed no one was injured by the rifle, it acknowledged that Assistant Sub-Inspector Nilesh Kumar Singh injured three protesters with a 9mm pistol near Hathi Chowk. The protests resulted in 500 arrests and injuries to 157 police personnel.

Constable Kumar was suspended for undesired conduct, but Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav argued the suspension was insufficient, demanding to know who authorized the use of an AK-47. The government maintained that police exercised restraint and did not use disproportionate force. Additional tensions in the region were fueled by the encounter of activist Bharat Tiwari in Bhojpur, which also contributed to the administrative reshuffle.