Kolkata: A ‘Singham’ versus ‘Pushpa’ rivalry played out at Falta, around 40km from Kolkata, on Tuesday.On Monday, IPS officer and DIG Ajay Pal Sharma — an ‘encounter specialist’ popularly known as ‘Singham’ on his home turf in UP, visited the house of Falta’s Trinamool candidate Jahangir Khan and warned his kin “to be cautious”. A day later, Jahangir’s convoy nearly crossed paths with Sharma, when slogans of ‘Joy Bangla’ and ‘Go Back’ were raised by Trinamool workers. Jahangir remained defiant, claiming: “If he is Singham, then I am Pushpa. Jhukega Nahi (I will not bow down). In ‘Sholay’, we saw: ‘Jo darr gaya, woh mar gaya’ (He who is scared is dead). In Jahangir Khan’s dictionary, the word ‘fear’ does not exist.”On social media, TMC MP Mahua Moitra raised the heat. She shared a couple of archived videos on ‘X’ showing a man grooving to music at what appeared to be a nightclub; she tagged the officer, calling him a ‘Fair and Lovely babua’. She commented: “Good to see you enjoying yourself … Hope your policing skills are better than your dancing skills”. A BJP spokesperson, however, declined to comment, stating the post “speaks of her taste”.When TOI contacted Sharma, he refused to comment, stating he is duty-bound not to speak to media and adding that all queries must be directed to the EC. On Tuesday morning, he visited a neighbourhood near Jahangir’s party office. As Sharma’s vehicle left, Trinamool supporters began chanting slogans. The jibes did not deter Sharma. From Falta all the way to Amtala, his cavalcade hit the road again later in the day. He was seen visiting the area near Jahangir’s office twice.A few hours later, the EC removed Falta’s Joint BDO, Sourav Hazra, following allegations of bias. Ramya Bhattacharya has been appointed as the new Joint BDO. EC sources clarified that Hazra’s transfer is unrelated to the controversy. A local woman, Monalisa Patra Das, also lodged a complaint against Sharma for allegedly intimidating women.Breaking his silence, Jahangir told reporters: “He threatened my colleagues and my family. Is this the duty of a police observer? There is no EC rule that says a police observer can go and threaten people at their houses. He is acting above the law.”BJP’s chief spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said the EC would decide if the actions were right or wrong, but added that if the public was prevented from voting, they will resist and “no one can save Trinamool then”.Meanwhile, the EC played down the incident. Officials stated that Sharma himself could report the gatherings and protests to the EC, but the CEO was not yet requesting a report from him. Trinamool stepped up its attacks. “EC guidelines stipulate that observers are only its eyes and ears, whose job is to observe and report. We are aware of his background, including complaints lodged against him by women,” senior minister Chandrima Bhattacharya told reporters. Joining the attack, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called Sharma a “BJP agent”. (Written with inputs from Kaushik Pradhan & Subrata Chattoraj in Kolkata)
