Kasauli murder: Himachal Pradesh government to give compensation to victim's family

The Himachal Pradesh Government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that a compensation of Rs 5 lakh will be given to the family of Assistant Town and Country Planning Officer Shail Bala Sharma who was shot dead by a hotelier.

The officer, who was heading a top court-ordered demolition drive against unauthorised constructions in Dharampur area of Solan district, was shot dead in Kasauli on April 1.

The apex court had earlier reprimanded the state government for not providing adequate security to the officer while stating that the failure to arrest the accused, who had shot at Sharma in broad daylight, was a 'serious issue'.

Sharma (51), along with four teams of the Town and Country Planning Department, was razing unauthorised construction in the area on the orders of the top court.

Upon reaching Narayani Guest House, its owner Vijay Singh asked them to keep off his property but when the team went ahead with the demolition and tried to get the place evacuated, Singh opened fire on them.

(ANI)