The Cop Who Dismantled UP's Crime Machine

The narrative offers insights into Prashant Kumar's crackdown on gangs and mafias in a state once defined by lawlessness

- By ANITA KATYAL

When Yogi Adityanath assumed office as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017, he directed the state police to take stringent action against criminals, declaring a policy of zero tolerance toward crime. Armed with this clear mandate, the police soon launched a war against organised crime. Leading this operation was Prashant Kumar, the state's top cop, who soon became synonymous with the elimination of dreaded gangsters.

Kumar was handpicked for the challenging task of dismantling criminal networks because of his decades-long experience in policing. His career as an IPS officer took him across Uttar Pradesh—from Jaunpur and Varanasi in the east to Meerut and Ghaziabad in the west—regions marked by caste conflict, communal tension, gang warfare, and Naxal violence. All civil servants have a fund of stories about their field experiences, but Kumar stands out in this category. It is no surprise then that investigative journalist Anirudhya Mitra chose to profile Kumar in his book The Enforcer: An IPS Officer's War on Crime in India's Badlands. Written in an engaging style, the biography portrays Kumar as a fearless, no-nonsense officer, even as it sometimes borders on glorifying him.