The Maharashtra Home Department today accepted the resignation of police officer Pradeep Sharma. Sharma had resigned from the police force on July 4 this year.
Speculation is rife that Sharma is keen on contesting upcoming assembly elections on a Shiv Sena ticket. Sharma, an officer of the famed 1983 batch of Maharashtra police academy, has more than 100 police encounters to his credit in over 35 years of service. He has neither denied nor confirmed reports that he is likely to contest elections.
Sharma was suspended from the police force in 2008 following the controversial 'Lakhan Bhaiya' encounter case. He returned to the police force in 2017 but has been posted out of Mumbai ever since.
Having joined the police department as a sub-inspector, Sharma rose through the ranks quickly because of his great understanding of the Mumbai underworld and the functioning of various gangs in Mumbai. He shot to fame after joining the crime branch and was instrumental in breaking the backbone of underworld in Mumbai. Sharma has more than 100 police encounters to his credit and became famous as Mumbai's 'Dirty Harry'.
Sharma teamed up with inspector Daya Nayak to take on the might of Mumbai underworld.
With Sharma’s resignation accepted by the home department, it would be interesting to see if his innings in politics will be as eventful as his stint with the police.