THE deployment of IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, known for his record as an encounter specialist, as a police observer in West Bengal for election duty has triggered a political controversy, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) accusing him of being a “BJP agent”. SP spokesperson Ashutosh Verma, speaking to IANS, questioned Sharma’s appointment and raised concerns over his record. “Look at Ajay Pal Sharma’s record. He calls himself a so-called ‘Singham.’ He makes reels. There are around 150 cases of encounters registered against him.” “This is the same Ajay Pal Sharma who allegedly talked about rates for IPS postings in Uttar Pradesh -- Rs 50 lakh for SP, Rs 25 lakh for DSP, and so on. With such serious allegations against him, how did he get posted there?” he said.

 

“It is also said that he is a BJP-backed IPS officer. If that is the case, then how is the Election Commission of India appointing such officers?... The way the BJP has taken control over the ECI and the way the poll body is following the BJP’s orders, the people of Bengal are seeing. This time, people in large numbers will vote for Didi, and the BJP will face a crushing defeat,” he added. Earlier, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the move in a post on X, saying, “In W Bengal, BJP has sent their tested agents in the name of observers to Rampur and Sambhal, but nothing will come of these. Didi is here, Didi will remain here!” “Criminals of democracy will not be spared!” Yadav added. The controversy intensified after videos surfaced showing Sharma issuing a warning to Jehangir Khan, a candidate of the All India Trinamool Congress, over allegations of voter intimidation in the Falta constituency. Sharma had reached the area following complaints from residents alleging that Khan was threatening voters. However, Khan was not present when the officer arrived, and locals as well as police initially did not disclose his whereabouts. Sharma and his team later traced his residence and reached the location.

 

At the site, Sharma found 14 personnel of the West Bengal Police deployed. Upon seeking clarification from the local Superintendent of Police, he was informed that Khan had been provided Y-category security with 10 personnel assigned. Sharma highlighted the discrepancy and issued a notice seeking an explanation for the additional deployment. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has alleged that the incident is being deliberately circulated to create confusion ahead of the elections. The EC has not yet issued an official statement regarding the matter, even as the political row continues to escalate. Ahead of phase two of polling in West Bengal, the EC has asked the NIA to ensure bombs are not used by miscreants to disrupt voting and target workers of political parties, poll authority officials said. 

 

 

UTTAR Pradesh-cadre IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, warning potential troublemakers of “appropriate treatment” if they try to disrupt Wednesday’s polling in West Bengal, created a fresh political dust-up with the TMC accusing the EC-appointed police observer of overstepping his role and “intimidating” party workers. With over a hundred armed troops, an armoured vehicle, and a list of potential “trouble makers” in his pocket, the 2011-batch IPS combed the South 24 Parganas district’s Falta Assembly seat under TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s backyard of Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency for two days on a trot. The Prayagraj ACP, who earned the moniker ‘Singham’ for his crackdown on criminals, faced protests by Trinamool Congress supporters who raised ‘Jai Bangla’ in front of the residence as well as the election office of local TMC candidate Jahangir Khan, officials said. TMC candidate Khan alluded to the Telugu-language action film ‘Pushpa’ and the Bollywood cop movie ‘Singham’ to say he would not allow “BJP-appointed police officials to threaten voters”.

 

“This is Bengal; if he is ‘Singham’, I am ‘Pushpa’. No amount of threat or coercion by the BJP-appointed police officials from Uttar Pradesh will be allowed in Falta,” he said on Tuesday. “They came with forces and tried to pressure my people and me. Such actions are not acceptable in a democratic system.” Eyewitnesses said that Sharma had visited the TMC candidate’s houseand said that the authorities would take “firm and immediate steps” if there were reports of voter intimidation.

 

A poll panel official said Sharma visited the area after the EC received reports that Khan’s men were allegedly collecting voter identity cards from people in the constituency and threatening them. The protesters, however, termed those allegations “lies” and demanded that Sharma furnish “proof of voter intimidation”. Officials said Sharma is among the 95 observers deployed by the Election Commission to ensure free and fair polling in the second phase. Labelled an “encounter specialist” and a ‘Dabangg’ (daredevil) police officer, Sharma was seen in a viral video landing up at Khan’s doorstep on Monday and warning people of strict action if anyone tried to resort to violence and intimidation on the day of the polls. “Everyone around should clearly understand this: anyone who engages in mischief will face appropriate treatment. If we receive any report of someone attempting to create trouble or harass others, we will take them to task,” Sharma was purportedly heard in the video. The video also showed him turning to Khan’s house and saying, “Members of Jahangir’s family are present here as well. Make sure he is informed that there are repeated reports that his associates are threatening people. If this continues, we will take severe action against them. Do not come later with complaints or regret.”

 

In Kolkata, Trinamool Congress leaders lashed out at the observer and the EC, alleging the IPS officer was “overstepping” his assigned role with “direct support” from the poll body. “The media calls him an ‘encounter specialist’. We wonder what such a police officer from Yogi Adityanath’s state is doing here? How can he visit a house and issue threats to women when the male members are not around? Has he been given the charge of arresting people without a shred of evidence?” Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said. “The EC guideline stipulates that observers are only its eyes and ears, whose job is to observe and report, not its arms and legs. We are aware of his background, including complaints lodged against him by women,” she added. The TMC condemns the observer’s actions in the strictest possible terms, and the party would register complaints with the EC, Bhattacharya said. “We already knew that the poll panel was acting as the BJP’s agent. But with each passing day, that belief is getting firmer. What else can the BJP do to grab power in Bengal?” she posed. Another minister, Aroop Biswas, accused the EC of flouting its own rule books and “acting according to the BJP’s instructions”.

 

“They are behaving as if they are in a war, intimidating voters with paramilitary jawans and armoured vehicles,” he said. TMC MP Mahua Moitra shared a couple of archived videos on X showing a man grooving to music at what looked like a nightclub, and tagged the officer, calling him a “Fair and Lovely babua”. She commented, “Good to see you enjoying yourself... Hope your policing skills are better than your dancing skills.” A BJP spokesperson, however, declined to comment, saying the post “speaks of her own taste”. Joining the attack on the BJP, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called Sharma a “BJP agent”. “These are unregistered underground members posing as officers. When the time comes, we won’t let them escape. They will be tracked down and punished for their misdeeds,” he said.