Gangajal Policewala: Shashi Bhushan Sharma | 101 Heartland

A close encounter with an encounter specialist.

The film Gangajal was based on the life of a real police officer. Shashi Bhushan Sharma is that police officer. An encounter specialist from Bihar, he is responsible for getting many dangerous criminals off the streets in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with both arrests and encounters to his name.

In a long and glorious career with various divisions of the police force, Shashi Bhushan Sharma has won almost every medal that a police officer can win. He's received the President's Medal for Gallantry four times, along with several other awards for meritorious service. We spoke to him about how he came to be in this dangerous line of work, and what it has meant to him.

Outside the metros and beyond the urban jungle live the sons and daughters of India’s heartland. This series tells their stories. 101 Heartland celebrates both unique communities and individual tales of hope, struggle, and reform. From the village of Bouncers just outside Delhi to the fascinating story of Ram Kumar Tyagi, once a wanted man but now a coach for aspiring female wrestlers, 101 Heartland tells stories for the heart, from the heartland.