Punjab FDA officer Neha Shoree’s funeral at Mani Majra cremation Ground, Chandigarh. (Express photo: Jaipal Singh)For Dr Rajneesh, a teacher at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), a premier research institution in Punjab’s Mohali, the name Dr Neha Shoree did not strike a chord immediately. Until he saw her picture on social media when “I realised she was my student”.
And a “brilliant student” she was, Dr Rajneesh said on Saturday, recalling the 36-year-old Punjab Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officer who was shot dead in her office in Kharar, Mohali, on Friday.
“She worked on Anti-Cancer Drug Delivery System for one year (at NIPER); her research work was very good. Neha was a brilliant student who always remained ahead of her batch-mates while working on projects. She was one of the most obedient students of her batch,” Dr Rajneesh told The Sunday Express.
While Shoree had joined the institute way back — in 2004 — and completed her degree in December 2006, Dr Rajneesh recalled his student as if it was yesterday. “She took admission on the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court, as NIPER had first refused to give her admission because her final year result of Bachelor of Pharmacy was not declared by Panjab University at the time of admission,” he said. “Neha and another student were eventually admitted on court’s directions. Usually our batch ends in June, but the results of Neha (and the other student) were declared in December 2006.” Read | Punjab FDA officer shot dead: ‘Fought in 1971; the drug mafia killed my daughter’, father grieves
Having worked with a private institute for a few months, she joined the state FDA in October 2007 — her family members on Saturday said she was ranked second in the Punjab Public Services Commission examination, and got into FDA with Inspector rank.
At NIPER, she was ranked eighth in her MSc (Pharmacy) exams.
Neha’s father, Capt Kailash Kumar Shoree (retd) said he always feared for his daughter’s life, considering the challenges she faced on duty. “During her initial days in FDA, I went with her whenever she was out to conduct raids. She was a brave girl. On a few occasions, I realised the kind of threats and difficulties officers face while conducting such raids,” Capt Shoree told The Sunday Express.
Her uncle, Sqn Ldr K K Shoree (retd), called her a role model for girls in their family — “she received high ranks throughout her academic career.”
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Shoree’s cousin Ravi Sharma added, “We used to send our children to her (Neha) for coaching — besides being a role model for our family, she was also a brilliant tutor…”
Many family members and friends called for a high-level probe into the murder. Born in Sahnewal, in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, in 1982, Neha soon moved with her parents to Chandigarh’s Sector 35.
