Ex-Delhi Police commissioner Ajay R Sharma passes away at 80

Remembered as a passionate officer and an avid sportsman, Ajay Raj Sharma remained active until the day he was hospitalised.

Former Delhi Police commissioner Ajay Raj Sharma passed away on Monday at 80 after battling for life in a Noida hospital for over two weeks.

During his tenure as Delhi Police Commissioner, Sharma handled the December 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament, where five armed assailants were killed after attacking the premises, leaving eight people dead. (HT Photo)

A 1966-batch IPS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Sharma was Delhi’s police chief from July 1999 to June 2002 before serving as director general of the Border Security Force (BSF). He retired in 2004.

He is survived by his wife, Neerja, and their two sons, Gaurav Sharma, 53, and Yash Sharma, 52.

Remembered as a passionate officer and an avid sportsman, Sharma remained active until the day he was hospitalised.

His son Gaurav recalled that he had played golf the morning of January 24, visited Khan Market in the evening, and watched a tennis match before retiring for the night. Around 11 pm, he complained of breathing difficulty and was rushed to a Noida hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator and never regained consciousness.

“I had spoken to him around 7pm that day. He told me he had gone to play golf in the morning and later visited Khan Market for personal work. He came home, watched a tennis match on TV, had dinner, and went to bed,” Gaurav recalled.

Born in Mirzapur, Sharma graduated from Allahabad University in 1965 and cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam on his first attempt in 1966. He was instrumental in forming the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) to combat organised crime. He detailed his policing experiences in his memoir, Biting The Bullet, mentioning how he was handpicked by UP Chief Ministers Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna and Kalyan Singh to bring down crime.

During his tenure as Delhi Police Commissioner, Sharma handled the December 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament, where five armed assailants were killed after attacking the premises, leaving eight people dead.

IPS Mukesh Kumar Meena, who was DCP of the New Delhi district at the time, remembered Sharma as a clear and decisive leader. “He was an excellent officer. While investigating the Parliament attack, he was very clear about how we had to proceed. He never harassed anyone and was an exceptional guide to many of us,” Meena said.

Former Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi recalled Sharma’s love for golf. “I wasn’t in Delhi during his tenure, but whenever I met him, he was cordial and friendly. He was always enthusiastic about policing and was a fine golfer. Anyone who knew him has fond memories of him,” Bassi said.

Sharma’s son Gaurav said he received condolence calls from even constables and head constables whom his father had helped. “Policing was his life. He was a great policeman, a father, and a husband,” he said.