Officer killing in Kasauli: Supreme Court slams HP for lax security

NEW DELHI: Taking a serious view of the murder of a Kasauli assistant town planner by a guesthouse owner on Tuesday during the demolition of illegal construction on its orders, the Supreme Court slammed

Himachal Pradesh

on Wednesday for inadequate security.

A bench of Justices

Madan B Lokur

and Deepak Gupta asked what the policemen accompanying the official were doing when the accused opened fire and fled. The bench had ordered the demolitions in April and took suo motu cognisance after a lawyer brought the incident to its notice.

Guesthouse owner Vijay Singh shot the official, Shail Bala, on Tuesday after an altercation over the execution of the SC ruling.

Town planner shot for doing her job: Supreme Court
As a public works department (PWD) team began pulling down a part of Narayani Guest House at Mando Matkanda, Singh (51) fired three rounds, leaving Bala dead and another officer seriously injured. Singh disappeared into the nearby forest after the incident and Solan police have announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone providing information leading to his arrest.

The court wondered how the accused committed the crime in broad daylight and fled the spot. “I saw on video the man was arguing with police and brandishing a revolver before he fired. There were so many people present, including police personnel, but he managed to run away. It is a very serious issue as she was killed for implementing our order,” the bench said, while asking the CJI to refer the case to an appropriate bench.

The bench, while ordering on April 17 the demolition of illegal construction, said the owners were indulging in unbridled construction in violation of laws in an ecologically sensitive zone just to make money. It had said such illegal structures could not be allowed as it would endanger the lives of tourists in the resorts.