Capt Kailash Shoree (retd), father of drug inspector Neha Shoree, who was shot dead in her office in Kharar in 2019, has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a CBI inquiry into the murder. A copy of the representation has also been sent to the Governor of Punjab.Neha Shoree was shot dead on March 29, 2019, inside her government office while on duty. According to the initial investigation, the assailant, Balwinder Singh, acted alone out of personal grievance after his drug licence was cancelled in 2009 and she refused to issue a new licence to his wife. He was said to have shot himself dead at the spot.The family has rejected this version. Kailash Shoree has alleged that Balwinder Singh did not die by suicide but was eliminated at the spot by a hired operative of the drug syndicate to prevent him from exposing those higher up. He has claimed that his daughter was targeted because she took an uncompromising stand against the illegal diversion and black-marketing of government stock, including buprenorphine tablets meant for de-addiction centres.Shoree has also pointed to what he calls a critical anomaly. He has alleged that the assailant was issued an arms licence during the Model Code of Conduct for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when civilian firearms were required to be deposited with the authorities. He has said this points to high-level complicity within state regulatory and administrative bodies.Citing the recent murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, Shoree said the nexus of the drug mafia in Punjab had once again come to the fore.The retired Army officer has also alleged persistent harassment and intimidation by local police, including threats of implication in false cases, for demanding an impartial probe. He has claimed that during Shah’s recent visit to Mansa, the police prevented the family from meeting him to submit their petition.Shoree has sought the transfer of the case to the CBI to investigate the alleged wider conspiracy, the issuance of the arms licence during the election period and the underlying drug network. He has also asked that state authorities be directed to ensure the family’s safety and stop any coercive action against them.