Kasauli murder: Accused arrested, SC to hear case on May 9; top 10 updates

Supreme Court ordered Himachal govt to file an affidavit by May 9, the next date of hearing, detailing progress in murder probe

The man accused of killing a woman officer who was leading a demolition drive in Himachal Pradesh’s Kasauli was nabbed on Thursday from the Mathura-Vrindavan area, where he was hiding in disguise, police said. A team comprising Himachal Pradesh and Delhi Police personnel arrested Vijay Singh who shot dead Assistant Town Planner Shail Bala Sharma on Tuesday, according to agency reports.

After allegedly committing the crime, Vijay Singh, a Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board employee who was on leave for three weeks, disappeared into a nearby forest.

"The accused Vijay Singh was arrested from Mathura-Vrindavan area this evening. It was a joint effort of the Himachal Pradesh Police and a Delhi Police special team," Solan SP, Mohit Chawla told PTI.

The accused was on the run and kept changing locations, he said. He had disguised himself to evade arrest, a police official said.

Singh had fired at Sharma, who was leading a Supreme Court mandated demolition drive against illegal structures, and fled. Himachal Pradesh authorities received much flak and were even pulled up by the apex court following the incident.

Singh's mother, Narayani, owner of the Narayani Guest House, while speaking before the arrest of her son, said he had lost mental balance as he couldn't see their guest house being demolished.

Expressing anguish over the delay in the arrest of the accused, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur earlier said in New Delhi: "I am in regular touch with top police officials. As per my information, he's likely to be arrested today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday),” reported IANS.

Meanwhile, state authorities continued the drive against unauthorised constructions in the Kasauli town planning area.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday pulled up state authorities for their failure to ensure safety of government officials.

The Apex Court had on April 17 ordered the state government to demolish unauthorised structures in several hotels and guest houses in Kasauli and Dharampur areas of Solan. Four teams were constituted by the authorities to carry out the work.

Here are the top developments on the Kasauli murder case:

1. Murder accused Vijay Singh arrested: In a joint operation, a state police team, which was coordinating with Delhi Police, arrested him from Mathura town, Superintendent of Police Mohit Chawla said, according to news agency IANS.

Police officials said the accused, who was not using his mobile phone since the murder, had shaved off his moustache and tonsured his head to conceal his identity. He is being brought to Kasauli.

On May 1, Assistant Town Planner Shaila Bala Sharma was shot dead by Narayani Guest House owner Vijay Singh during the Supreme Court-ordered demolition drive.

Police officials said Vijay Singh shot dead the official when she insisted on executing the apex court order to demolish illegal constructions at his guest house.

2. Local who lived near Singh’s guesthouse shocked over the crime: "Vijay Singh kept a low-profile and helped his mother run the guest house. The guest house was in her name. We are in a state of disbelief that an educated person could do such a thing. His children study in a reputed school in Kasauli. This one action of his has ruined his entire family," said a local who resides near the guest house, reported IANS.

3. Next hearing on May 9: On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the Himachal government to file an affidavit by May 9, the next date of hearing, detailing the progress in the murder probe.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur said the affidavit should contain details of action taken to demolish illegal constructions and steps to prevent unauthorised constructions in future.

4. Congress blames BJP: The Congress blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for what it said was "deteriorating law and order" in the hill state.

"Even two days after the crime, the state has failed to fix responsibility on officials responsible for the lapses that led to the death of a government employee," Congress leader Mukesh Agnihotri told IANS.
 

5. How the incident took place: Shailbala Sharma was shot dead and a labourer injured on Tuesday in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district allegedly by Narayani Guest House owner Vijay Kumar, who  fired two rounds in the air as employees began the demolition drive in Dharampur area following Supreme Court orders. A stray bullet hit Sharma, killing her on the spot, police officials told news agencies. Labourer Gulab Singh received a gunshot injury in the abdomen. An official of the Public Works Department was also injured in the incident. Sanjya Negi, a sub-divisional officer of the electricity department, had a narrow escape.  

The district administration officials were removing illegal structures in 13 hotels and resorts in Kasauli area when the crime was committed. 

The deceased was heading the team for the demolition drive and hotel-owners allegedly attempted to intimidate the officials. An altercation ensued and Kumar fired three rounds at the officials, killing Shailbala on the spot and injuring Singh, who was undergoing treatment at PGI, Chandigarh, where his condition was stated to be critical. 

6. SC takes sou motu cognisance of the Kasauli incident: The Supreme Court on Wednesday on its own took cognisance of the firing incident in Kasauli where a woman government official was shot dead allegedly by a hotel owner over the demolition of an illegal structure. A Bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta termed the incident as extremely serious and noted that the government officials had gone there to comply with the court's direction to seal unauthorised constructions.  

7) SC asks 'what was police doing': The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked what the police team, which had accompanied the government officials during the sealing drive, was doing when the hotel owner allegedly shot at Shailbala.  

SC Bench says it will stop passing orders: After the Kasauli firing incident issue was mentioned before it, the Bench observed, "We might stop passing any orders if you are going to kill people." 

8) SC raps state govt: The apex court on Wednesday rrapped the state government for not providing adequate security to the woman official, news agencies reported.



9. Himachal CM says law and order will be maintained: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday mourned the official's killing, saying that the culprit would be arrested soon and acted against according to the law. "The law and order will be maintained at all costs in the state," he said. 

10. SC's demolition order: The Supreme Court last month had ordered the demolition of unauthorised constructions at several hotels and resorts built in violation of sanctioned plans in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh. Observing that the hotel-owners cannot put the life of people in danger for making money, a Bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta had said: "First demolish it (unauthorised constructions)".  

"You (hotel owners) admitted that there is unauthorised construction. Everything you have done is wrong. There was landslide in your premises. You are putting the lives of people in danger just for the money," said the Bench, which took note that some hotels and resorts were supposed to construct only two-storeyed buildings but built six-storeyed buildings. Ordering the authorities concerned to act on it, the Bench said, "Either you demolish it or we will ask authorities to demolish it. Choice is yours."  

With agency inputs