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In a chilling incident, a 51-year-old lady assistant town and country planner was shot dead on May 1 in broad daylight in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. Shail Bala Sharma was killed in the shooting during the district administration's demolition drive in Kasauli. The drive had been undertaken to demolish illegal construction on recent orders of the Supreme Court.
#BREAKING Kasauli Murder: Chilling murder in broad daylight,Officer killed for doing her job, shot for heading demolition drive, chased and shot dead by Hotel owner, cops and babus eyewitness to crime pic.twitter.com/Iucc4TW9YX
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) May 2, 2018
It was Vijay Kumar, owner of the Narayani Guest House near Dharampur, who shot Sharma. When Sharma’s team reached Kumar’s house to demolish the illegal construction, he started firing rounds in the air. District officials were demolishing his structure because of violations.
While he was firing, a bullet hit Sharma, and injured another government official, SDO (Electricity) Sanjya Negi. Sharma died instantly but Negi narrowly escaped. A few bullets also hit a labourer, Gulab Singh, working with the PWD. He has wounds on the chest and abdomen.
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The case will be placed before CJI Dipak Misra for marking it to an appropriate bench.
#BREAKING – Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of the murder of woman Govt official of Kasauli. She was shot dead yesterday by hotelier when she went there for demolishing illegal construction. SC calls it a "brazen" act, won't tolerate such brazen breach of our orders pic.twitter.com/yOXtTbQK8n
— News18 (@CNNnews18) May 2, 2018
A Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur will look into the matter to give further judgement. The bench terms the incident “extremely serious” and “a brazen act of defiance of this court’s orders”.
#UPDATE -- Supreme Court on the murder of woman government official in Kasauli: "We might stop passing orders if you are going to kill the people" pic.twitter.com/Z6cn8zqqLK
— News18 (@CNNnews18) May 2, 2018
Officer not provided security?
The state government alleged that the officer was not provided with proper security. It also pointed out that she did not alert the police and went to the site on her own. The bench, in reply, slammed the state’s stand and said that the claim doesn't justify the case.
“We might stop passing any order if you are going to kill people,” the court responded.
The district administration had an order to tear down unauthorised portions of 13 hotels and resorts that were found in violation of norms.
Feature Image Credit: Tribune India