Himachal: Officer shot dead while doing her job as per SC order

In a horrific incident, a 51-year-old woman official was chased and shot dead by the owner of a guest house at Kasauli. The incident took place after an altercation between the owner and the official during a demolition drive ordered by the Supreme Court against unauthorised structures in 13 hotels across Himachal Pradesh.

The police say that the official, Shali Bala Sharma, an assistant town planner was shot dead by Vijay Thakur who pumped three bullets into her. Several police personnel and officials were present when the incident occurred. The official was declared brought dead at the hospital.

A Public Works Department employee, Gulab Singh who was also part of the drive was injured in the incident. He is undergoing treatment currently. Thakur is however on the run and the police have formed multiple teams to nab him.

Sharma hailed from Mandi and was married to Dr B P Sharma, who is the director of the National Research Centre for Mushroom (NRCM) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, in Chambaghat, Solan. Their 24-year-old son had recently completed his MBBS from Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla.