Neha Shoree was shot dead by an armed man in her office on Friday. Neha was a an officer of the Punjab government’s Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) wing. She was posted with the Drug and Food Chemical Laboratory in Kharar and dealt with licensing in Mohali and Ropar districts of Punjab.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused was running a chemist shop in Morinda. In 2009, Shoree, who was then posted as District Drugs Inspector in Ropar, had raided his store and had reportedly recovered intoxicant drugs from there, following which she had cancelled his drugs licence. – The Quint
The assailant was holding a grudge against her. He allegedly took revenge. He killed himself once he realized that he would get caught.
Nishant Shoree, Neha’s elder brother, told The Sunday Express, “The drug mafia active in Punjab is behind the murder of my sister who was an honest officer and never gave in to pressure while discharging her official duties. Balwinder Singh’s drugs license was cancelled because he was selling unauthorized drugs at his chemist shop. This means he was linked with the drug mafia. The circumstances in which my sister was murdered suggest a deep-rooted conspiracy, beginning with the way in which Balwinder managed to procure an arms license and purchased a revolver — all this when the Model Code of Conduct was in place.” – Indian Express
“Why was my daughter shot dead? It proves she was performing her duty with utmost honesty and did not succumb to any pressure. I participated in the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971 for my country. And today, the drug mafia of this country snatched my daughter from me.” Said Neha’s father Captain Shoree who served in the Indian Army. – Indian Express
Neha is survived by her husband and her two-year-old daughter. What is even more disturbing is that Neha’s niece (six-year-old child) had gone with to her office that day, as she had vacation. The child witnessed the murder. The assailant killed Neha in cold blood, in her office, in front of her niece. According to some reports, he screamed “Happy Holi” after shooting her.
Here is a woman who was honest and hard-working. She got shot at work! Imagine the nerve of this beast. It is unbelievable a man would have the guts to walk into a government office with a weapon and shoot a woman at 11: 45 am in the morning.
This is horrific. I cannot begin to imagine what her family is going through. What is even more shocking is that I have not seen the necessary outrage in media that a gruesome murder such as this should trigger.
I will not say may her soul rest in peace because I don’t think a woman who went to work as a regular day, and got shot, leaving behind a family will get “peace”. I can’t say hang the murderer because he is already dead. According to her family, there was a bigger conspiracy and it could not be just the one person involved in it.
Read another interview of Neha’s aunt where she said that what is the point of educating a daughter, and her getting a job when her life will be snatched away for doing the same work honestly. We see these things on television. Honest officers getting killed for doing their job. Well meaning family and friends reminding these officers to think of themselves first and not mess with the bad guys. The price is paid. A heart-wrenching reminder of the world we are living in, and that some people are pure evil.
Neha Shoree.. Warrior. Role model. Brave woman. Scrupulous woman. You are loved and missed. We are ashamed that you had to go this way.
Prayers and strength to the family.