Mohali,mar 31
Dr Neha Shoree, 36, a brilliant student throughout her academic career, had worked on anti-cancer drug delivery system at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali. An alumna of the premier research institute, Neha completed her masters degree in pharmacy in 2006, worked in a private institute for a few months before joining Punjab’s Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in October 2007.
Her family members told Chandigarh Newsline that she had scored second rank in the examination that was conducted by the Punjab Public Services Commission and that’s how she got into FDA on the rank of Inspector. She was due for promotion. In her MSc (Pharmacy) at NIPER, she scored eighth rank.
Born in Sahnewal of Ludhiana district in Punjab in 1982, Neha shifted with her parents to Chandigarh and started living in a rented accommodation in Sector 35.She pursued her early education from Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, Chandigarh. She took admission in BPharma at Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Panjab University. Thereafter, she started preparing for government examinations to get a government job. She got married about four years ago to Varun Monga, a private banker who lives in Sector 6, Panchkula. Varun is an alumnus of St. John’s High School, Chandigarh. The couple was blessed with a daughter and celebrated her second birthday on February 27.At NIPER, Neha worked on anti-cancer drug delivery system in her masters degree. Her teacher at NIPER, Dr Rajneesh, told Chandigarh Newsline that she joined the institute in 2004 and completed her degree in December 2006.
“Dr Neha took admission on the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court as NIPER first refused to give her admission because her final year result of Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharma) was not declared by Panjab University at the time of her admission. Neha was eventually admitted on the High Court’s directions. Usually our batch ends in the month of June but Neha’s result was declared in December 2006,” Dr Rajneesh said.Recalling Neha as an excellent student, Dr Rajneesh said, “She worked on anti-cancer drug delivery system for one year and her research work was very good. Neha was a brilliant student who always remained ahead of her batchmates while working on various projects. She was one of the most obedient students of her batch.”Expressing grief over Neha’s murder, Dr Rajneesh said, “It came as a shock to us when we learnt about the incident. Her name did not strike me until I saw her picture being circulated on social media networks and realised that she was my student.”
Neha’s uncle Sqn Ldr K K Shoree (retd) said, “She was a role model for girls in our entire family. She is the only girl in our family who received high rankings throughout her academic career. It is shocking that she has been snatched away from us in such a manner.”Neha’s father Capt Kailash Kumar Shoree (retd) said he always feared for his daughter’s life considering the challenges she faced while discharging her official duties.“During her initial days in FDA, whenever she went to conduct raids, I used to accompany her. She was a brave girl. On a few occasions, I realised the kind of threats and difficulties the officers were facing while conducting such raids,” Capt Shoree said. Neha’s mother Arun Shoree was inconsolable and demanded that the government must “conduct a high-level probe”.
Neha’s cousin Ravi Sharma said, “We used to send our children to her for coaching as she was a brilliant tutor besides being a role model for our family. She was the favourite among children in our family. It is an irreparable loss.”
