Prakash Shukla
Shri Prakash Shukla (c. 1973 – 22 September 1998) was an Indian gangster and contract killer who operated primarily in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the 1990s, gaining notoriety for high-profile assassinations and involvement in organized crime networks often linked to political patronage. [1][2] Born in Yamkhor village in Gorakhpur district to an army jawan father, Shukla had his first recorded brush with the law in 1993 when he killed Rakesh Tiwari, marking the start of his criminal ascent. [1] His operations included extortion, kidnappings, and murders, such as the 1998 assassination of Bihar minister Brij Bihari Prasad using a sten gun alongside accomplices, for which judicial records confirm his direct involvement. [3] Shukla pioneered the use of AK-47 rifles in Uttar Pradesh gang warfare and was reportedly contracted for the murder of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, prompting the creation of the state's Special Task Force (STF) in 1997 specifically to target him. [4][5] Shukla's reign ended in Operation Bazooka, a STF ambush in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, where he was fatally shot during an exchange of fire on 22 September 1998, armed only with two .38 revolvers rather than his typical automatic weapons; two associates were also killed. [5][4] His elimination, credited to STF officer Rajesh Pandey among others, significantly disrupted mafia activities in the region but fueled debates over encounter killings in Indian law enforcement. [4]