Onkar Sharma removed from Key posts; Harikesh Meena reinstated despite suicide case allegations

The move is widely seen as disciplinary action against Sharma, who had been appointed the sole member of an internal committee to probe the circumstances of Negi’s death. Though the government had fixed a 14-day time limit for the inquiry, Sharma reportedly submitted an affidavit to the High Court without prior clearance from the state government—an act perceived as indiscipline. As a result, he was sent on leave 17 days ago.

In the official transfer order issued by the Department of Personnel on June 14, the government has handed over all of Sharma’s key departments—Revenue, Home, Forest, Vigilance, and Appeals—to 1993-batch IAS officer Kamlesh Kumar Pant. Pant has also been assigned the role of Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board, further consolidating his position within the top bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, in a parallel but equally contentious move, the government has reappointed IAS officer Harikesh Meena, who is out on interim bail in the same case. Meena, the former Managing Director of the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited, has now been posted as Special Secretary, Youth Services and Sports. His name, along with that of Director (Electrical) Desh Raj and another IAS officer Shivam Pratap, had surfaced in the complaint filed by Vimal Negi’s wife, alleging sustained harassment that led to Negi’s suicide. Meena and Desh Raj are also under CBI investigation for their roles in alleged irregularities and favouritism during their HPPCL tenures.

Omkar Sharma is scheduled to resume office on Monday but will now work only within the confines of the Tribal Development Department—a stark fall from his earlier position overseeing powerful departments. Adding emotional depth to this move Sharma’s wife had earlier posted a cryptic note on social media: “I don’t know which complaints we fell prey to, the more clean our hearts were, the more guilty we became.” The post has drawn significant sympathy online, with many users calling the decision unjust to an “honest officer.”

Also absent from the scene is suspended former Shimla SP Sanjay Gandhi, who was also placed on leave alongside Sharma. His return to duty remains pending.

This administrative shake-up, coming amid ongoing CBI investigations and mounting political heat, points to a growing tension between loyalty, procedural propriety, and accountability within Himachal Pradesh’s top bureaucratic ranks.