Dr. Ajay Pal Sharma is a 2011-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer serving in the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He is widely known as the “Singham of Uttar Pradesh” — a reference to the iconic Bollywood police hero — and is recognized across India as an encounter specialist whose aggressive approach to crime has earned him both praise and controversy.
He first became widely known for his no-nonsense style of policing under the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh. He shot to national prominence in 2026 when the Election Commission of India deployed him as a police observer in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, ahead of the state assembly elections, sparking a sharp political debate between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.
What makes Ajay Pal Sharma’s story especially remarkable is that before becoming a police officer, he was a practicing dentist — one of India’s most well-known examples of a career transformation through the UPSC civil services examination.
Profile
| Full Name | Dr. Ajay Pal Sharma |
| Born | October 26, 1985 |
| Age | 40 years old (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Ludhiana, Punjab, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | IPS Officer (2011 Batch, Uttar Pradesh Cadre) |
| Parents | Father: Amarjit Pal Sharma (retired college professor); Mother: Prem Sharma (homemaker) |
| Siblings | Younger brother — IAS Officer, Uttar Pradesh |
Early Life
Ajay Pal Sharma was born on October 26, 1985, in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. He was raised in an academically driven household. His father, Amarjit Pal Sharma, was a retired college professor, and his mother, Prem Sharma, was a homemaker. From a young age, Sharma was a star student — he reportedly topped his state in 10th grade, achieving perfect marks in Mathematics, Science, and English, and topped Ludhiana in the Class 12 Medical stream. His younger brother later cleared the UPSC and became an IAS officer in Uttar Pradesh, making the Sharma family one of the few in India to produce two senior civil servants from the same household.
Education
Ajay Pal Sharma completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab. He was among the top three students in his batch throughout the four-year program. After briefly practicing dentistry, he left the profession in November 2008 to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. He studied independently at home in Ludhiana. He cleared the UPSC written exam in 2009 but was not selected after the personal interview. In his second attempt, he achieved an All India Rank (AIR) of 160 and was allocated to the Indian Police Service in the 2011 batch, assigned to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Career
Ajay Pal Sharma began his IPS career as a trainee officer in Saharanpur. He went on to serve in multiple postings across Uttar Pradesh, earning a reputation for tough, results-oriented policing. Under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s administration — which placed significant emphasis on crime crackdowns — Sharma emerged as one of the most prominent faces of UP’s “encounter policing” culture, earning the label encounter specialist. As of 2026, he serves as the Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) in Prayagraj. In 2026, he was appointed by the Election Commission of India as a police observer for South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal during the state assembly elections, a move that triggered a political storm. His deployment was praised by the BJP and criticized sharply by the TMC.
In 2020, he faced internal scrutiny when an internal departmental report implicated him and five other IPS officers in an alleged cash-for-postings racket. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted, and a vigilance probe was recommended. Sharma was transferred from his posting as SP Rampur to the Police Training Centre in Unnao during this period. He denied all allegations.
Social Media
Ajay Pal Sharma has a notable presence on social media, particularly on X (Twitter), where videos of his public interactions during the West Bengal election deployment went viral in April 2026. He has been referred to online as the “Singham of UP Police,” with clips of his direct, no-nonsense communication style widely shared.
Personal Life
Details about Ajay Pal Sharma’s personal relationships, wife, and children are not widely published. He is known to maintain a private personal life, consistent with the public service culture of senior IPS officers. His controversies have mostly been professional in nature — centered on his policing methods and the 2020 cash-for-postings allegations, which he has denied.
Net Worth
Ajay Pal Sharma’s estimated net worth ranges between $150,000 and $400,000. As a senior IPS officer, his primary income is from government salary, grade pay, and allowances under the 7th Pay Commission. No confirmed independent income sources have been established.
FAQs
Q: What is Ajay Pal Sharma famous for?
Q: Was Ajay Pal Sharma a dentist?
Q: What is his current posting?
Conclusion
Ajay Pal Sharma’s life story — from state-topping student to dentist to feared IPS officer — is one of the most compelling career pivots in India’s civil service history. Whether celebrated or criticized, he remains a significant figure in the story of modern policing in Uttar Pradesh.