The Himachal Pradesh government has once again drawn criticism for stripping Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Sharma — a senior IAS officer with a clean image — of all major departments. Sharma was entrusted with an inquiry into the controversial Vimal Negi death case earlier this year but was later sent on leave after submitting his fact-finding report directly to the High Court without routing it through the Advocate General’s Office.
Sharma, who is scheduled to rejoin duty tomorrow, has now been left with only the Tribal Development Department. The other key departments he previously held — Revenue, Home, Jal Shakti Vibhag, and the Pollution Control Board — have been reassigned to another Additional Chief Secretary, Kamlesh Kumar Pant.
In a controversial move, the government has also appointed IAS officer Harikesh Meena — who faces serious allegations in the Vimal Negi case — as Special Secretary, Youth Services and Sports. Meena, then MD of the Power Corporation, was accused of harassment by Vimal Negi’s wife and was removed from his post and sent on leave on March 18 amid public outrage. An FIR was later filed in connection with the case, prompting Meena to seek anticipatory bail.
The government’s decision is being widely seen as leniency towards an officer facing criminal allegations, while penaliaing a senior, upright bureaucrat for conducting a fair and transparent inquiry.
The inquiry was assigned to Onkar Sharma on March 18, the same day Negi’s body was recovered from the Bhakra dam reservoir in Bilaspur. His appointment was reportedly meant to reassure the public, given his reputation for integrity. Sources say Sharma conducted the inquiry objectively and stood firm, refusing to alter his report despite pressure from the Chief Minister.
Vimal Negi, Chief Engineer with the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation, went missing on March 10. His body was found on March 18 in the Bhakra reservoir. Later, the High Court, acting on a petition filed by Negi’s wife — who expressed distrust in the state-formed Special Investigation Team headed by Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi — ordered a CBI probe into the matter.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma took a sarcastic swipe at the recent government notification regarding the postings of Onkar Sharma and Harikesh Meena, referring to it as "Vyavastha Parivartan" (change in governance).
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