Once notorious for being the heartland of mafias and strongmen, Uttar Pradesh has been busy shedding that image over the last few years under the Yogi Adityanath government. A police force of able officers has carried out way over 10,000 encounters with gangsters and anti-social elements to establish law and order in the most populated state in the country.
The most recent gangster killed was the son of jailed mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, Asad Ahmed. Asad was wanted in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case in February.
Asad and his accomplice were gunned down by Uttar Pradesh’s Special Task Force on Thursday and the whole operation was carried out under the supervision of ADG (STF), Mr. Amitabh Yash.
The 1996 batch IPS officer Mr. Yash doesn’t really need an introduction. His name alone is enough to scare the criminals and Asad Ahmed is among a long list of mafia names who have been brought down by Mr. Yash’s team.
Popularly known as ‘Encounter Specialist’, Mr. Yash has terminated more than 150 criminals. Not only has he busted many dacoit gangs in Bundelkhand including the infamous Shiv Kumar Patel, popular as Dadua, but also the 2020 gunning down of notorious history-sheeter-turned politician Vikas Dubey.
Always keen to be in roles of combat and operation, Mr. Yash’s efficiency is not however just limited to the field. While speaking to Indian Masterminds once he shared his passion for two things that keep him focused and grounded. Although he is known for taking down many criminals, the terms encounter and encounter specialist are something he is not fond of.
WHY ENCOUNTER SPECIALIST
Eliminating one criminal after another, be it Dadua or Vikas Dubey, Mr. Yash has been tagged by the media as one of the top “encounter specialists” in the country.
Mr. Yash said: “When we chase a criminal, it depends on his cooperation whether he will end up in jail or get shot. We also abide by the laws but sometimes encounter is the end result.”
“There is nothing like an encounter specialist. It’s a team effort. The team will always have a tech group, who keep a hawk eye on criminal movement, besides a number of other specialists and then there is a leader, who only puts all these specialists into one task force. So, every operation is successful because of the team-mates’ expertise in various areas”.
ALL CREDIT TO DAD
Mr. Yash, who hails from Bihar and whose father Mr. Ram Yash Singh was also a very successful officer, feels he would not have been in khaki had it not been for the inspiration of his father.
The decorated officer of UP STF feels his father should get all credit for whatever he has achieved.
Mr. Amitabh Yash was a student of Chemistry who graduated from St. Stephens College, and then did his MSc from IIT. “My father was the one who inspired me to go for civil services. He should get credit for teaching me to aspire high. When I got selected for IPS, his teachings shaped me as an officer. I have learned policing from him,” he said.
READING CRIMINAL MINDS
Mr. Yash has served in the STF for many years now and has rose in ranks from SSP to IG and now ADG. He said not many officers like to be part of operations but he loves his job and feels lucky to be part of it for so many years.
So what has been the biggest challenge, he said: “Most of the criminals that fall in the lap of the STF are very sharp. We are forced to acknowledge at times that had a particular criminal been given a better opportunity he would definitely excel in a better field. Most of the time it is circumstances that create them.
“While chasing them the biggest challenge is to read their minds, analyse their behaviour before planning the next step. If that is done properly, half of the work is done. I have always proceeded like this only,” he added.
As questions were being raised on the encounter, Mr. Yash has said: “The operation was in connection with the murder of a witness, Umesh Pal, besides two police officers. It was pertinent that results be delivered as otherwise witnesses will not feel safe to aid the administration in weeding out the criminals.”
A DIFFERENT PERSONA
Since 2017, there have been 10,900 encounters and more than 6,000 criminals were arrested. The number of criminals killed is 183, policemen injured is 1,443 while were 13 killed.
So does the high-octane action-packed profession allow him to relax? Mr. Yash says he makes time to follow his passion and it is these that keep him focused and grounded. The IPS officer loves photography and he has a great collection of work. He also involves himself in gardening during his leisure. “Being near plants keeps him calm and focused in the field,” he added.
As Uttar Pradesh government plans to bring in more development and employment to its people, Mr. Yash says: “A big onus of creating that environment where criminals will be dissuaded from indulging in criminal activities and ‘junta’ will be confident and satisfied in the environment they are living in is essential,” and his team is 24X7 committed to establishing that peace.
