Ajay Pal Sharma, a 2011-batch officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS) belonging to the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has once again found himself embroiled in controversy. Ajay Pal is among the 95 officers whom the Central Election Commission appointed and dispatched as observers for the Legislative Assembly elections in the state of West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court has dismissed a petition filed by the state government—led by Trinamool Congress’s Mamata Banerjee—seeking to revoke Ajay Pal’s appointment. Meanwhile, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking Ajay Pal Sharma’s removal was also filed in the Supreme Court last night. Concurrently, TMC supporters staged protests against Ajay Pal. This uproar erupted following the viral circulation of a video showing Ajay Pal Sharma arriving at the residence of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan.
In the viral video, Ajay Pal Sharma is seen arriving in plain clothes, accompanied by a contingent of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, at Jahangir Khan’s home. In the footage, he publicly calls out Jahangir Khan by name and issues a stern warning: anyone attempting to intimidate voters or influence the voting process will face severe consequences. Jahangir Khan is a TMC candidate and is also known to be a close associate of Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. In addition to serving as the President of the TMC’s youth wing, Abhishek is a three-time elected Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha). TMC leaders deemed Ajay Pal Sharma’s conduct to be objectionable and intimidating. They have leveled a direct allegation that Ajay Pal Sharma is acting as an agent on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party at the Centre.
Citing this issue as the basis for their grievance, the West Bengal government filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court. The petition alleged that the IPS officer appointed by the Election Commission as a Police Observer was violating the Model Code of Conduct. Hearing the petition, High Court Justice Krishna Rao flatly refused to issue any orders, stating that he would not pass any directives against any officer deployed for election duty before April 29 (the date of the final phase of voting in the West Bengal elections). The court directed the petitioner to approach the Central Election Commission.
Meanwhile, the matter began to escalate after TMC MP Mahua Moitra posted about the issue on social media. In a post shared on her ‘X’ handle (formerly Twitter), MP Mahua Moitra took a jibe at Ajaypal Sharma, addressing him sarcastically as “Fair & Lovely Babua.” She also attached two video clips in which a man resembling Ajaypal appears to be standing in close proximity to a professional dancer performing in a room. In one of the videos, the man is seen clapping in a dancing-like posture. Due to the colored lighting in the room, the man’s face is not clearly visible; however, addressing Ajaypal Sharma and tagging him at @DripsAjaypal, MP Mahua Moitra remarked, “Fair & lovely Babua @DripsAjaypal – good to see you enjoying yourself FantaCop style. Stay Thanda Thanda Cool Cool. Bengal is always Trinamool.
The Election Commission has appointed Ajaypal Sharma as an Observer in the 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. In terms of his regular police duties, Ajaypal Sharma currently serves as the Additional Commissioner of Police in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The police teams led by him have a long track record of encounters with criminals. Several criminals were killed in these incidents, some of which also sparked controversy, leading to allegations of fake encounters being leveled against him. The local media has even dubbed Ajaypal Sharma “Singham.” Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader and MP Akhilesh Yadav has described IPS officer Ajaypal Sharma as a “tested agent” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Past Controversies:
Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, Ajay Pal Sharma was a dentist before becoming a police officer. He was also involved in a dispute with a woman who claimed to be his wife; however, Ajay Pal Sharma refuted that claim. His name also surfaced in a case involving allegations of accepting bribes in exchange for official postings.
Public Interest Litigation:
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging a decision by the Election Commission of India, under which Ajay Pal Sharma—an officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre—has been appointed as an Election Observer for the West Bengal Assembly elections. The petitioner has alleged that this officer is “highly biased” and was intimidating political candidates. Citing Section 20B of the ‘Representation of the People Act, 1951’, the petitioner has noted that the role of an Observer is to “oversee the conduct of elections” and that they are viewed as a “neutral institutional safeguard,” whose presence is intended to bolster public confidence in the electoral process. The petitioner argues that Ajay Pal Sharma’s conduct constitutes a “gross violation of the duties of an Observer.”
The petition was filed last night by an individual named Aditya Das. It seeks appropriate directives from the Court to annul this appointment and to ensure that Election Observers remain independent and impartial in the discharge of their duties.
