Ramesh Sharma

Timeline

• 23 July 1983 — Ramesh Sharma, a 28-year-old police constable assigned to guard duty at the Pashupatinath temple, killed 14 people and wounded 9 others before being shot and killed by police later the same day.
• 23 July 1983 (about 7:30 p.m.) — Ramesh Sharma entered a tea shop adjacent to the Pashupatinath temple armed with a Lee-Enfield and cartridges.
• 23 July 1983 (about 7:45 p.m.) — Ramesh Sharma left the temple area and headed towards the town, killing seven more people in the streets.
• 23 July 1983 (about 8:20 p.m.) — Ramesh Sharma was engaged by policeman Mewa Lai; he fired and missed, then killed Sakina; Mewa Lai returned fire and killed Sharma with a shot in the chest.

Background

Ramesh Sharma (रमेश शर्मा) was a 28-year-old police constable assigned to guard duty at the Pashupatinath temple on 23 July 1983. He was described as having “Suddenly lost his balance of mind”.

The offence

At the Pashupatinath Temple and its surrounding area in Mandsaur, India, Ramesh Sharma carried out a mass murder on 23 July 1983.

• He entered a tea shop adjacent to the temple armed with a Lee-Enfield and with his pockets bulging with cartridges.
• He aimed his rifle at the shop owner’s nephew, Pradeep, and asked: “Should I shoot you?”, before killing him.
• He next shot at Rakesh Jain, owner of an idol shop at the temple, hitting him in the shoulder.
• While Jain stumbled into the nearby Hanuman temple, Motia Bai, owner of another shop in the area, shouted at Sharma in rage.
• Sharma shot dead both Motia Bai and her son Hari.
• Sharma then turned back towards Rakesh Jain and, after taking off his shoes, entered the temple and shot Jain at point-blank range through his abdomen.
• Sharma put back on his shoes and left.
• Outside the temple, Sharma was approached by another policeman posted at the temple that evening, Kanhaiyalal Dube, who wanted to calm him down; before Dube could say a word, Sharma shot him dead.
• Sharma then entered the Pashupatinath temple where an aarti, attended by about 60 people, had just begun.
• Sharma fired a few shots at the pilgrims, wounding several of them.
• Sharma shouted to halt the aarti; the priest, Ramachandra Shukla, apparently unaware of what was going on, raised his hand to silence him.
• Sharma killed the priest by shooting him in his arm and head.
• After leaving the temple area at around 7:45 p.m., Sharma headed towards the town and killed another seven people in the streets.

The total outcome of the shooting spree was that Sharma killed 14 people and wounded 9 others, with one cartridge remaining in the chamber of his rifle and another 35 found in his pockets.

Investigation

Police were notified during the incident, but it took another 40 minutes to stop the gunman.

Arrest

Ramesh Sharma was not arrested; he was shot and killed by police on the same day.

Outcome

At about 8:20 p.m., Sharma was engaged by policeman Mewa Lai. Sharma fired a shot at the officer that missed its target but killed an 18-year-old woman named Sakina. Mewa Lai then returned fire and killed Sharma with a shot in the chest.

Other details

• The mass murder occurred at the Pashupatinath Temple and its surrounding area in Mandsaur, India on 23 July 1983.
• The incident involved an aarti attended by about 60 people.
• Pradeep was the shop owner’s nephew, Rakesh Jain was the owner of an idol shop, and Motia Bai owned another shop in the area.
• Hari was Motia Bai’s son.
• Ramachandra Shukla was the priest.
• Kanhaiyalal Dube and Mewa Lai were police officers posted at the temple that evening.
• The gunman had a Lee-Enfield rifle, used 34 rounds within 50 minutes, and had one cartridge remaining in the chamber while another 35 were found in his pockets.