UP Singham enters South 24 Parganas; Why is Yogi's encounter specialist in Bengal?

KOLKATA: Ahead of the second phase of polling in West Bengal, the Election Commission appointed renowned Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma as a police observer. Ajay Pal Sharma, a 2011 batch IPS officer, earned fame for carrying out hundreds of encounters in Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Known as 'Yogi's Singham', Sharma keeps a no-mercy attitude towards criminals.

The Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party accused the BJP of using Sharma, known as an encounter specialist, for political needs. However, the Election Commission responded that Sharma’s appointment would ensure free and fair voting in the state. However, the Trinamool Congress has alleged that the Election Commission has sent Sharma to intimidate voters and Trinamool workers in the interests of the BJP. The leaders have also alleged that the BJP has planted such 'agents' to create cracks in its TMC strongholds like South 24 Parganas.

The controversy has intensified after a video of Ajay Pal Sharma publicly reprimanding a Trinamool Congress candidate and his team at a place called Falta in South 24 Parganas went viral on social media. In the video, Ajay Pal Sharma can be seen raising his voice, warning of serious consequences if anyone dares to take the law into their own hands. The entire opposition is alleging that this is tantamount to insulting the candidates and influencing the voters.