LUCKNOW, April 30 -- Ajay Pal Sharma, a 2011-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre Indian Police Service officer, is no stranger to political controversy. Branded an 'encounter specialist' by his supporters and a political weapon by detractors, the Uttar Pradesh cadre officer's career is full of flashpoints; his West Bengal election duty ignited the latest political storm. In the summer of 2019, when he was the Rampur superintendent of police, Sharma walked into Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's bastion weeks after Khan won the Lok Sabha seat. Soon, the administration labelled Khan, a sitting MP, a 'land mafia'. Nearly 80 cases - land grab, theft, encroachment tied to Jauhar University - were filed against Khan and aides. Bulldozers rolled in. Raids became routine. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called it outright political targeting, accusing Sharma of dismantling Rampur's four-decade power structure. Sharma was transferred abruptly, but the damage to Khan was done. To critics, it was policing as political messaging. To supporters, it was law enforcement without fear. Post-Rampur, Sharma's stints as SSP in Noida and other NCR districts sharpened his 'encounter specialist' image. Dozens of police encounters and hardline anti-crime drives won him public applause in some quarters - and fierce scrutiny in others. Civil society groups questioned the legality of UP's 'encounter culture'. Controversy followed off-duty too. Unverified videos allegedly showing him dancing with bar performers resurfaced during politically tense moments. A woman's claim of marriage to him added fuel. Neither saw official closure, but both became political ammunition, clouding his operational work as additional commissioner of police in Prayagraj. Now on deputation to West Bengal for poll duty, Sharma is back at the centre of a political storm. A viral video from an election raid shows him warning alleged political workers - the act hailed as "no-nonsense policing" by backers and slammed as "intimidation by a controversial officer" by detractors. The reaction was instant and familiar. The Azam Khan crackdown, the dance videos, the Rampur transfer - all resurfaced online. Akhilesh Yadav openly questioned why an officer with Sharma's Rampur history was sent to a non-BJP -ruled state during polls. Complaints of procedural overreach have reached the Election Commission. Sharma's postings appear to show a political pattern. His 2019 Rampur role coincided with a legal offensive against SP's most powerful Muslim face. His Bengal deployment is being read the same way. Rivals argue that an officer who led the legal siege of a key opposition leader in UP cannot project neutrality in another opposition bastion during elections. For Sharma, the line between decisive policing and political flashpoint has never been thinner. And with each posting, it seems to blur further....