Patna: Bihar Police officer Kundan Krishnan has sent a defamation notice demanding Rs 5 crore in damages from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh over allegations concerning the death of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in a police encounter in Bhojpur district.
Krishnan, who oversees the Special Task Force (STF) and the Special Branch, sent the notice through his lawyer, Apurva Harsh, seeking a public apology from the MP over his remarks about the encounter.
Singh has refused to apologise, maintaining that his questions concern public accountability and the circumstances surrounding Tiwari’s death. He said he had instructed his lawyer to respond to the notice and reserved his legal rights.
Dispute over June 17 encounter
The controversy relates to an encounter involving Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in Bilauti village, under the Shahpur area of Bhojpur district, on June 17, 2026.
Singh held a press conference on June 24, during which he alleged that an STF team had been sent from Patna to carry out the operation and accused Krishnan of ordering the action that led to Tiwari’s death.
The allegations prompted the defamation notice, which, according to Singh, demands a public apology and threatens a Rs 5 crore defamation suit as well as criminal proceedings.
The allegations against Krishnan have not been established in the information provided.
RJD MP demands scrutiny of senior officers
Responding to the notice, Singh said he had raised questions in the public interest about Tiwari’s death and another incident in Jamui. He argued that the circumstances of the encounter, the chain of command and the decisions taken by senior police officials required scrutiny.
The MP said accountability should not be confined to lower-ranking police personnel and called for an impartial investigation into the role of senior officers involved in the operation.
He questioned how an operation of such magnitude could have been conducted without the knowledge or instructions of senior officials and the police headquarters. He also argued that investigations into police controversies often focus on junior personnel while the decisions of senior officers receive less scrutiny.
Singh specifically called for an examination of the command structure, decision-making process and communications among the officers involved in the Bhojpur operation, as well as the role of the police headquarters.
Singh cites suspension of personnel and judicial inquiry
The RJD MP said the case warranted further scrutiny because police personnel involved in the incident had been suspended, an FIR had been registered following a complaint by Tiwari’s mother, and the state government had ordered a judicial inquiry.
He argued that these developments highlighted the seriousness of the case and the need for an impartial investigation.
Singh also questioned the decision to send a defamation notice to an elected representative who had raised concerns about the incident. He maintained that questions about the death should be addressed through evidence, transparency and an independent inquiry rather than legal threats.
MP refuses to apologise
Singh said he would neither apologise nor withdraw his questions in response to the notice. He added that he had instructed his lawyer to prepare a response and would take any further legal steps necessary within the framework of the law.
Emphasising the importance of accountability in a democracy, the MP said public officials should be subject to scrutiny regardless of their rank and that questions concerning police action should be addressed through due process.
The notice marks an escalation in the dispute over the Bhojpur encounter, with Singh continuing to demand an investigation into the role of senior officers and Krishnan seeking legal redress over the allegations.
