On 23 June 2021, there was an unusual buzz among policemen in Meerut after a late-night meeting convened by the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Prabhakar Chaudhary.
He had only joined a couple of days earlier as the district police chief. In the meeting, he handed envelopes with two crisp 500-rupee notes to every station house officer (SHO) present in the meeting.
SSP Chaudhary instructed the SHOs that the money was meant to be spent on expenses incurred for refreshments for visitors coming to the police station.
The cash envelope was not the only "takeaway" from the meeting. He warned SHOs against accepting bribes or be ready to face the music.
The message went around that SSP Chaudhary is among those rare officers who would not blink twice before taking on corrupt men in his department.
This was days after 2009-batch IPS officer and famed "encounter cop" Ajay Sahni who had served as Meerut SSP for a little less than two years was transferred out and made SP Jaunpur in a major rejig in the state police department on 15 June, 2021.
For a district which was at the top of the encounter tally, the transfer of IPS Sahni was going to put an end to the encounter momentum which has been showcased as the biggest foot forward in maintaining law and order in the state ever since Yogi Adityanath took over as chief minister in March 2017.
Trial by Encounters vs Policing by the Book
Since March 2017, on an average five encounters have taken place in UP daily. Of the 9,434 encounters that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since March 2017, over one-third (3,138), took place in seven districts: Meerut, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat, Hapur, and Saharanpur, which comprise the Meerut zone.
A total of 160 accused have been killed in these encounters and 61 among the deceased were from the Meerut zone.
Meerut, a district infamous for its notorious criminals, became the encounter capital of the state.
During Ajay Sahni's tenure as SSP of the district for close to two years, 208 encounters took place in the district as per a rough estimate. At least 10 alleged outlaws were killed in these encounters while the rest sustained bullet injuries in the leg. Considered close to the top brass, Sahni kept his unit trigger-happy in almost every district he served as the police chief.
"We fire only when fired upon. Earlier, police, fearing department action and other proceedings, used to refrain from retaliating at outlaws firing at police which resulted in injuries and fatalities from the police side as well. Now, there is fear among criminals and this has helped keep crime in check," Sahni said.
On several occasions, Sahni has led from the front in these gun battles. His contribution didn't go unnoticed. He was awarded the police medal for gallantry for killing Delhi gangster Shakti Naidu in an encounter in Meerut's Kankerkhera area on 19 February, 2020.
However, there was a sharp shift in the encounter trend in Meerut after Sahni was transferred out to Jaunpur and was replaced by 2010-batch IPS officer Prabhakar Chaudhary who took over as Meerut SSP in June 2021.
Since then, the district has reported only one encounter. A man Shahzad, who along with two others had stabbed his nephew on a busy street in Meerut in April 2022, was held after a brief gun battle. Shahzad had sustained a bullet injury in his leg.
Chaudhary, known for his old school policing, has a similar track record in almost every district he has served in the past.
Encounter remains an exception under his watch unlike Sahni's who was bestowed with titles like "Encounter cop" and "Singham" in the local media for his ruthless pursuit of criminals in gun battles.
Speaking to The Quint,
SSP Meerut Prabhakar Chaudhary said, "Rule of law is same for all. If we don't follow or get it implemented, we will not be able to make any major improvement. This is what I personally believe."
Bullet Versus Law
Officers in the state police department who have worked under Sahni and Chaudhary claim when it comes to crime solving techniques, going after gangs and maintaining law and order, both have a knack for it but their approach is different.
"During SSP Chaudhary's tenure, if your mobile is snatched on the road, there is a good chance an FIR will be registered on your complaint under serious IPC sections. Cops at the police station otherwise make you claim it was lost. His (Chaudhary's) impetus is on registration of FIRs, keeping every police officer accountable for crime within his jurisdiction and solving the case within the ambit of the law," an IPS officer who has worked under both Sahni and Chaudhary said.
The buck does not stop at the registration of FIRs. There is constant monitoring of serious crimes in the district.
"Any SHO failing in registration of FIR or solving the case on time is summoned by SSP Chaudhary to the police lines every Friday at 5 in the morning with case files. Departmental action is taken if anyone fails to deliver," another officer who has served under both Sahni and Chaudhary said.
In sharp contrast, officer Sahni will let the encounter do the talking.
"During an encounter, a suspect accused of minor offences like loot, theft, robbery or bike lifting would most likely be shot in the leg. For suspects involved in heinous sensational crimes like rape-cum-murder, broad daylight robbery-cum-murder and hardened criminals with multiple heinous cases, there are high chances he will be bumped off in the encounter," another cop who has worked with Sahni said.
Among the top brass, Sahni has earned his reputation as an "action-oriented" cop.
He has served as SP in several districts including Azamgarh, Barabanki, Aligarh, Bijnor, Meerut and is now currently posted as SP Jaunpur. Barely two months after taking over in June 2012, Sahni announced his arrival in Jaunpur. Two accused wanted in a daring murder of a guard during robbery bid were gunned down in an encounter in August 2021.
In the last 11 months, four suspects have been killed in separate encounters. Many others were arrested after injury in brief gun battles.
Commenting on the working style of the two IPS officers, a senior official of the rank of additional director general said on the condition of anonymity, "Every police officer has his own distinct working style. Prabhakar believes in old-school policing while Sahni is more of an action-oriented cop. Ultimately, both focus on maintaining law and order in the state."
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