Three officials violated code by issuing gun licence to accused, EC tells victim’s kin

The three employees, whose names were shared by ECI with Capt Kailash Shoree (retd), father of victim Neha, are Manjeet Kaur, then PA to the then DC, then senior assistant, Jaspal Singh, and then clerk Saleem Kumar. Balwinder had shot himself after killing Neha on March 29, 2019.

The three employees, whose names were shared by ECI with Capt Kailash Shoree (retd), father of victim Neha, are Manjeet Kaur, then PA to the then DC, then senior assistant, Jaspal Singh, and then clerk Saleem Kumar. Balwinder had shot himself after killing Neha on March 29, 2019. (Representational image)

While issuing a gun licence to Balwinder Singh who is accused of killing drug officer Dr Neha Shoree, 36, with a licensed weapon at her office, Food and Drug Administration, at Kharar in 2019, three officials of the then Deputy Commissioner’s office in Ropar had violated the code of conduct, the Election Commission of India has informed the victim’s family.

“I was merely provided the names of three employees of then DC, Ropar. They were found negligent while issuing a gun licence when the code of conduct was in place. I was not provided any information about what disciplinary action was taken against them. I am also shocked at why senior officers were spared. Issuing a gun licence is not the job of a PA, clerk and any assistant. Balwinder Singh, who had shot my daughter, was given a licence under a large conspiracy which was yet to be unearthed. The ECI provided me this information a few days back. The information came in reply to one of my complaints,” Capt Kailash Shoree, a resident of Sector 12 in Panchkula, told The Indian Express.

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He said, “Balwinder was working with a private hospital at Morinda. Investigation agencies had claimed that Balwinder killed my daughter because she had cancelled his drug licence a long time back. In fact, Balwinder never had any drug licence. That licence was issued to his father. Balwinder was instrumental in executing the killing of my daughter who had cancelled more than two dozen drug licences in drug-affected state of Punjab. I have filed an appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court already. December 8 is the next date of hearing.”

Capt Shoree had declined to accept the probe report of Mohali police and Bureau of Investigation (BoI), which investigated the killing of his daughter.

Dr Neha Shoree, 36, a brilliant student throughout her academic career, had worked on anti-cancer drug delivery system at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali. She had joined Punjab’s Food and Drug Administration in 2007.

Balwinder had procured a .32 bore pistol from a gun house at Ropar on March 12, 2019. He was reportedly issued a gun licence from the office of Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, on March 11 despite the fact that a code of conduct was imposed on March 10 in view of the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.

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