New Delhi: An officer with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who had handled some major corruption cases in Jammu, died when his motorcycle skidded on the road while crossing a speed breaker in Jammu on Friday night.
A resident of Jammu’s Plaura, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Prashant Sharma was returning home on his Royal Enfield bike when he met with the accident. Sharma was rushed to the Medical College, Jammu from where he was shifted to a hospital in Punjab for specialised treatment for critical injuries to the head, but died en route to the hospital in Punjab.
“Sharma left for his home around 10:30 pm at night. His body was found near Jewel Chowk in Jammu,” a senior officer from the CBI Jammu told ThePrint, adding that an FIR under Section 279 (rash driving or riding) of the Indian Penal Code was filed in Nawabad Police Station.
The CBI is assisting the police in the investigation. His phone and helmet were found missing, the officer said.
The post-mortem was conducted at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Jammu. “The board (of doctors) is trying to investigate if there has been foul play. Rest everything can be confirmed after we receive the report from the medical board,” he said.
The funeral took place Saturday at Jogi Gate cremation ground near Tawi river in Jammu
where a Guard of Honour was accorded to the departed officer.
Sharma is survived by his wife and two sons. His family has demanded a thorough probe in the case.
Senior PDP leader and former minister in Jammu and Kashmir, Naeem Akhtar, too, made the same appeal to the police.
“We are not accusing anything, but he had been investigating some high-profile cases, so we called for an inquiry and impartial probe into the incident and the circumstances in which he lost his life. All those cases are very important to the state and there are many people involved under investigation of these cases. It calls for a probe,” Akhtar told ThePrint.
Sharma joined the CBI in 1991 as a constable, and in 2000, he was promoted to the rank of sub-inspector after clearing an examination. Over the course of his career, Sharma was posted at several places including the North-East, Mumbai, Delhi, Srinagar and for a long time in Jammu.
“He has been an active part of CBI for the past 25 years and involved in different investigations,” the CBI officer said.
Sharma has handled several big scam cases in Jammu, including the J&K sub-inspector recruitment scam and was declared as the best investigating officer by the CBI in 2021. “On a local level, he was awarded by different CBI officers from time to time,” he added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)