An assistant town planner was shot dead allegedly by a guest house owner in Kasauli on Tuesday following an argument over a demolition drive.

A labourer, who was part of the demolition team, was also injured in the firing. As many as four police personnel were present at the scene when the guest house owner, identified as Vijay Thakur, opened fire and then managed to flee the spot.

The incident took place around 2.30 pm when a team of Town and County Planning department, led by assistant town planner Shail Bala Sharma, arrived at the guest house and asked the owner, Vijay Thakur, to vacate the premises.

Supreme Court on April 17 had ordered removal of illegal hotel structures in Kasauli within 15 days.

The guest house owner reportedly warned the officials to not enter the premises which led to a round of heated argument between the assistant town planner and the accused.

Police officers said that the accused shot the assistant town planner on her face and then her back, killing her on the spot.

A PWD worker, identified as Gulab Singh, was also injured by a stray bullet and is undergoing treatment at PGIMER in Chandigarh.

The accused Vijay Thakur is a state government employee and has been running the guest house on his mother’s name. He is a personal assistant of director (civil) in Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board in Shimla. He was in Kasauli on a fortnight leave.

Police have announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the accused.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the basis of a complaint filed by an NGO had asked Vijay Thakur and a dozen other hoteliers in Kasauli to demolish the illegal construction.

The NGT order was challenged in the Supreme Court which on April 17 ordered the state authorities to demolish the illegal structures within a period of 15 days. The violators were also asked to deposit a fine of Rs 15 lakh each.