He is a dynamic police officer whose name is enough to scare the people involved in illegal activities. Criminals make a point to give him wide berth. The terror that the mere mention of his name can evoke is a reality in the underground world. Here, we are not talking about a Bollywood hero created by script writers who grew up watching the Rambo and Die Hard offerings by Hollywood. Instead, he is very much real in flesh and blood.
Not only has he busted many dacoits gang in Bundelkhand but also lead the teams that encountered infamous dacoit Shiv Kumar Patel, popularly as Dadua, and gangster Vikas Dubey.
Currently posted as the ADG of Special Task Force (Uttar Pradesh), the 1996 batch IPS officer Mr. Amitabh Yash sees policing in a different way and always came forward to take up roles in operations.
In a conversation with Indian Masterminds, he shared his experiences on field, his hobbies and his work.
‘My Father always taught me to aspire big’
Mr. Yash hails from Bihar and his father Mr. Ram Yash Singh was also a very successful officer. Mr. Yash feels that his father should get all the credits for whatever he has achieved. “I was a student of Chemistry and did my graduation from St. Stephens College, and then 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 a lot of policing from him”, he said.
There is nothing like encounter specialist
After busting many dacoits gang and getting hold of gangster Vikas Dubey, Mr. Yash has become popular as an `encounter specialist’. Sharing his perspective on this he said, “When we chase a criminal, it depends on his cooperation whether he will end up in a jail or get shot. We also abide by the laws, but sometimes encounter becomes the end result. But, there is nothing like an encounter specialist. The team will always be filled with tech and other specialist and the leader only put all these specialists into one task. So, every operation is successful because of the team-mates’ expertise in various areas”.
The challenge is to read their minds
Mr. Yash has been part of STF for a good number of years. He served in STF as SSP, IG and now ADG. He mentioned that not many officers like to be part of operations but he loves this job and was lucky to be part of it for so many years. During these times he caught many criminals. Highlighting the biggest challenge in these he says, “Most of them are very sharp minded. If provided with better opportunity, they would definitely excel but circumstances turn them into criminala. While chasing them the biggest challenge is to read their minds, analyse their behaviour and take next steps. If that is done properly, half of the work is done. I have always proceeded like this only”.
When asked about his strategy while getting behind Vikas Dubey he said, “He was one of the most cruel and ruthless people I have ever came across. After the Kanpur incident where his gang members killed many police officers, I did feel a blood rush and decided that this man should not live. However, you always have to work within the boundaries of the law. Since, we were chasing him for a long, we always knew his next move. He didn’t flee far away because he was in this overconfidence of being safe. He literally went underground in a Basement house in Ujjain. When Ujjain police reached him, he didn’t utter a single truth in his entire statement. We wanted severe punishment for him. It was one of the most challenging cases for me till now. A big part of the credit goes to my team members who worked day and night to catch him and bring him back”.
Apart from all the actions on field, Mr. Yash also passionately follows photography and involves himself in gardening during his leisure. He says that being near to plants keeps him calm and focused in the field.
