The Election Commission’s decision to deploy IPS Ajay Pal Sharma, the 2011-batch officer famously known as Uttar Pradesh’s “Singham,” as a police observer in West Bengal has ignited a fierce political firestorm. On April 28, 2026, a video of the “encounter specialist” went viral, showing him delivering a blunt, uncompromising warning to the family of TMC candidate Jehangir Khan in South 24 Parganas. Sharma, who has a storied reputation for aggressive policing and dozens of criminal encounters in UP, was caught on camera advising Khan’s supporters to “stay within the rules” or face actions they would later “cry and regret.” The raid, conducted following reports of voter intimidation, saw Sharma questioning the presence of unauthorized security personnel at the candidate’s residence, further heightening tensions in the sensitive district.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has reacted with outrage, branding Sharma a “trigger-happy cowboy” and accusing the BJP of using “central agents” to intimidate the electorate. TMC leadership, including MP Mahua Moitra, cautioned the officer that “Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh,” while party spokesperson Riju Dutta threatened legal action and FIRs against him. Conversely, the BJP has hailed Sharma as a “watchdog” necessary for ensuring free and fair polling in a region long plagued by electoral violence. Despite the controversy and TMC’s formal complaints to the Election Commission, Sharma has continued his high-profile tours of sensitive booths, signaling a “zero-tolerance” approach toward muscle power. This clash of policing styles and political ideologies has turned the South 24 Parganas observer into one of the most polarizing figures of the 2026 Bengal Assembly elections.
