The youth movement in Bihar over the alleged examination paper leak took a violent turn in Siwan on July 25 during the Bihar Bandh called by the All India Students Association (AISA). The bandh was organised to protest the police lathi-charge on students during a massive youth demonstration in Patna on July 22 demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Violence erupted near J P  Chowk in Siwan as protesters clashed with police. During the confrontation, police personnel opened fire using AK-47 assault rifles and pistols.

Three youths suffered serious gunshot injuries. They were identified as 15-year-old Mohammad Arif, 21-year-old Akash Yadav and 20-year-old Bullet Kumar Gond. All three were initially admitted to Siwan Sadar Hospital before being referred to Medanta Hospital in Patna due to the severity of their injuries. Shortly after the incident, videos showing blood-soaked Akash and Arif being rushed to hospital on a rickshaw circulated widely on social media.

According to the injured and their families, none of the three was participating in the violent protest. Arif, who worked at a local shop, was allegedly shot in the neck while returning home after closing the shop because of the bandh. Akash, a resident of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, had travelled to Siwan to celebrate his birthday with his fiancée and was allegedly shot while returning after buying a cake.

Bullet Kumar Gond said he was on his way to the district magistrate’s office to obtain caste and residence certificates when he was hit by a bullet in the leg. He further alleged that police assaulted him with fibreglass batons even after he had been shot and forced him to hop on one leg to the police station. “I was left writhing in pain for about an hour before an ambulance was called,” he said.

Following the incident, a video showing a police constable firing an AK-47 rifle went viral. Bihar Police suspended constable Abhishek Kumar after the footage surfaced. In a statement issued on July 27, Siwan Police claimed the constable fired four rounds into the air after being surrounded by protesters in order to protect lives and government property. The police further claimed that no one was injured in the firing. A departmental inquiry has been ordered, and Siwan superintendent of police Puran Kumar Jha said the investigation would also examine who authorised the firing.

However, an analysis by Alt News raises questions about the police’s official account.

Alt News examined videos recorded from multiple angles by bystanders and conducted geolocation verification of the footage. The investigation found that police fired at least nine rounds from AK-47 rifles at two separate locations. In addition, two separate instances of police personnel firing pistols were captured on camera. Geolocation analysis confirmed that these videos were also recorded in Siwan during the July 25 violence.

Eight Rounds Fired in front of Siwan District Commandant’s Office

Alt News obtained videos from three different vantage points showing a police constable firing an AK-47 rifle. The footage establishes that at least eight rounds were fired by him.

By matching the shops and buildings visible in all three videos, Alt News confirmed that the footage was recorded on the road in front of the district commandant’s office in Siwan.

One Round Fired on the Road to Kagzi Mohalla, Naya Bazaar in Siwan

At a second location, Alt News identified a police officer firing at least one round from an AK-47 rifle. The organisation obtained videos of the incident recorded from two different angles. By matching the shops and buildings visible in both videos, Alt News confirmed that the footage was recorded on Kagzi Mohalla–Naya Bazaar Road, around 400 metres from the district commandant’s office in Siwan.

Check geolocation here:

Policemen Firing Pistol

Alt News also verified two separate incidents of police personnel firing pistols. In one video, matching nearby buildings established that the footage was recorded on the road in front of Darbar Jama Masjid in Siwan. A second video, showing a policeman firing a pistol towards protesters, was geolocated to J P Chowk by verifying the surrounding shops and buildings.

First Instance: In front of the Darbar Jama Masjid 

Geolocation:

Second Instance: J P Chowk

Geolocation:

The findings contradict the police’s official version. While Siwan Police stated that only four rounds were fired from an AK-47, Alt News verified at least nine rounds fired from AK-47 rifles at two locations, in addition to two separate instances of pistol fire. The footage also shows more than one police officer firing towards protesters.

Speaking to Scroll, injured Akash Yadav said he was shot by a policeman wielding a pistol and claimed he could identify the officer who fired at him. He also alleged that the police may have pressured him to change his statement. So far, however, action has been taken only against one constable.

Police Firing in Jehanabad on July 23

The firing in Siwan was not an isolated incident. Two days earlier, on July 23, police also opened fire while dispersing protesters in Bihar’s Jehanabad district during demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.

Alt News found videos of the incident recorded from two different angles, showing police personnel firing sub-machine gun carbines towards protesters. Geolocation analysis established that the footage was recorded near the Child Development Project (Anganwadi) building outside the Officers’ Colony adjacent to Jehanabad railway station.

Geolocation:

Additional videos from Jehanabad showed police firing multiple rounds to disperse protesters gathered on the railway tracks.

Speaking to the media, Jehanabad district magistrate Tshering Y. Bhutia said police opened fire after protesters began pelting stones but claimed that no one was injured. He added that around 10 to 15 rounds were fired and that the situation was subsequently brought under control. Local residents, however, alleged that the number of rounds fired was significantly higher.

Political fallout

The Siwan firing quickly triggered a political storm.

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav raised the issue on July 25, accusing the police of opening fire on students with AK-47 rifles. The following day, he visited the injured victims in hospital.

Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav also questioned the use of AK-47 rifles against unarmed protesters, asking who had authorised the deployment of such a lethal weapon during the demonstrations in Siwan.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi later spoke to injured Akash Yadav over the phone and assured him of assistance. During the conversation, Akash said he had been shot in the shoulder, leaving one of his hands impaired. He also told Gandhi that he had lost his mother in childhood, lived with his father and had no siblings. Referring to the Siwan incident, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the state’s response to student protests had become increasingly violent and criticised the use of AK-47 rifles against demonstrators.

BJP MP Sambit Patra, reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s tweet, said that Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the police used AK-47 against student protesters was false. Police have never used AK-47 to open fire on the protesters, he asserted.