Ajai Raj Sharma Amongst The Most Accomplished Officers

Without doubt, Ajai Raj Sharma, who passed away on Monday, was amongst the most distinguished police officers in the country.

- PANKAJ VOHRA

A former Delhi Police Commissioner and Head of the Border Security Force, he spent more time in the field than anyone else in the IPS. Therefore, it was no wonder that his exploits, in the form of a book he wrote some years ago, demonstrate the kind of cop he was.

Often referred to by many of his contemporaries as "The Dirty Harry", Sharma served in the most difficult districts of Uttar Pradesh such as Agra, Farukkhabad, Banda, Allahabad, Varanasi and Meerut. He had been handpicked by two Chief Ministers while he was in Uttar Pradesh to bring back some semblance in the State. Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna had asked Sharma to eliminate Jarman Singh, a dreaded dacoit, who had even challenged the might of the State in Farukkhabad. He not only accomplished the task but also broke the backbone of the gang which had created a reign of terror.

Kalyan Singh had similarly engaged him to take out Siri Prakash Shukla, the young outlaw from Gorakhpur, who during his brief career had accepted a supari to finish off the CM. Shukla was tracked through his mobile phone and killed in an encounter on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border. Sharma used to often speak about the importance of informers, who essentially were the most effective tools of any police department. They helped in gathering local intelligence and often provided tips which were necessary and vital.