Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 11:38am on 28 Apr 2026,Tuesday India
The posting of IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma as police observer in South 24 Parganas has sparked a political row ahead of the next phase of West Bengal elections. A 2011-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, Sharma is now Additional Commissioner of Police in Prayagraj. He is known for his tough style and role in several operations, earning the tag “encounter specialist”. The BJP and Election Commission said his role is to ensure “free and fair voting”. The Trinamool Congress and Akhilesh Yadav alleged he was deployed to “intimidate voters”. Born in Ludhiana in 1985, Sharma worked as a dentist before joining the police. (PC: HT)
