Munish Sood
MANDI:
Senior Himachal Pradesh IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Sharma, until recently one of the most powerful figures in the state’s bureaucracy, returned from an involuntary leave, only to be stripped of his most influential portfolios — home, revenue, vigilance, tribal affairs, water resources and pollution control board.
The departments Onkar once led with quiet authority were now handed over to another IAS officer, Kamal Kant, leaving only tribal development with him.
But what raised many an eyebrow wasn’t the reshuffle, but the comments expressing pain that followed on the social media —first by Onkar’s wife Sapna Sharma and then the IAS officer himself.
Wife’s ‘expression of pain’ too went viral on social media
Just three hours after the Himachal Pradesh government notification was issued on June 14, 2025, Onkar Sharma’s wife Sapna Sharma took to social media. “We don’t know which complaints we are being punished for… The purer our hearts the greater our guilt appears to be,” she wrote on Facebook and the comments soon went viral, including in the power corridors of Himachal.
And four days later came a cryptic post by Onkar himself: “We spoke the truth among liars… It was a city made of salt and we exposed our wounds.”
A political leader said a single Facebook post by a seasoned bureaucrat had shaken the Himachal Pradesh administration. “And rightly so! This wasn’t just an emotional expression but a silent protest wrapped in dignity, laced with heartbreak and truth,” he said.
The origin of the comments lies in the mysterious death of Vimal Negi, Chief Engineer of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation. Known for his honesty and refusal to toe political lines, Vimal Negi’s death sent ripples through the state.
The state government deputed Onkar Sharma and former DGP Atul Verma to investigate the case after Vimal Negi’s family alleged that he was harassed by his seniors, “which forced him to die by suicide”.
Onkar and Verma’s joint probe report exposed alleged irregularities in the Pekhubela solar power project in Una and raised serious questions about former Power Corporation MD Harikesh Meena and former Director Deshraj.
On the basis of the report, the Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered a CBI probe, sidestepping the state police entirely. An institutional embarrassment for the government, this also led to Onkar Sharma, DGP Verma and then Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi being placed on extended leave. DGP Verma has since retired. Onkar Sharma, now back in office, finds his career trajectory visibly clipped.
Ironically, Harikesh Meena, who is currently out on anticipatory bail, has been rewarded with the Department of Sports.
From Chief Secretary aspirant to marginalisation
Onkar Sharma was until recently a frontrunner for the post of Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary. As the fourth senior-most IAS officer in the state and with Central deputation officers out of contention, his elevation was all but expected in March 2025.
However, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena was given a six-month extension, and Onkar Sharma was conveniently moved out. With this latest posting, his path to the top administrative post in Himachal appears effectively blocked.
