A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court for IPS Ajay Pal Sharma to be removed “urgently” from the post of Superintendent of Police in Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, which is headed to the polls, HT has learnt. The petition describes Sharma as “highly partisan and acting inconsistently with his assigned role”.
The petition, seen by HT, alleged that while assuming charge as Superintendent of Police, Sharma “engaged in acts of intimidation, undue influence and partisan behaviour, including threats against political candidates”.
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Sharma’s role in several major security operations during his postings in Uttar Pradesh earned him the reputation of an ‘encounter specialist’.
The Election Commission’s deployment of Sharma has sparked another major row between the incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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While the BJP and Election Commission of India said Sharma was deployed to ensure “free and fair voting” in the state, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also alleged that the BJP is trying to tilt the vote in their favor by “deploying agents” to intimidate voters.
Chaos in South 24 Parganas
TMC supporters staged a protest in Valta in South 24 Parganas district on Tuesday where they accused Sharma of “intimidating” party workers and leaders ahead of the second phase of polls in West Bengal.
Senior TMC leaders and ministers alleged that the IPS officer exceeded his role.
The 2011 batch IPS officer faced protests from TMC supporters, who raised the word ‘Jai Bangla’ in front of the residence and also in front of the election office of local TMC candidate Jehangir Khan, officials said.
A poll commission official said that Sharma visited the area after the Election Commission received reports that Khan’s men were collecting voter identity cards from people in the constituency and threatening them.
During the visit, the IPS officer, who earned the nickname ‘Singham’ (reckless) in Uttar Pradesh, said he would not allow the candidate or his associates to intimidate voters.
Sharma is among the 95 observers deployed by the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the second phase, officials said.
Witnesses said that Sharma visited the TMC candidate’s house late on Monday evening and said the authorities would take “firm and immediate steps” if there were reports of voter intimidation.
