Odisha minister murder accused taken to CFSL for narco test

During interrogation, the sacked police officer reportedly said that he had been thinking about killing the minister for months

Updated on: Feb 8, 2023, 22:03:34 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: Dismissed Odisha police officer Gopal Das, who was arrested on charges of killing state health minister Naba Kishore Das on January 29, was flown to Gandhinagar via Kolkata on Wednesday to conduct the narco analysis as well as polygraph tests at the central forensic science laboratory (CFSL).

Mortal remains of Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das being taken for last rites during his funeral, in Jharsuguda district on January 30 (PTI File Photo)

A senior Odisha police officer said they hoped that Das, 53, would be more forthcoming about the reasons why he allegedly shot dead the minister on January 29 when he stopped to inaugurate two office buildings of Brajrajnagar municipality. Assistant sub-inspector Gopal Das, who was deployed at the spot for law and order arrangements, pushed his way through the people present and fired at him using his service.

The officer added that Gopal Das hadn’t been very forthcoming during his interrogation about his motive or the sequence of events prior to the minister’s murder.

During his interrogation, the sacked police officer reportedly told investigators that he shot the minister as he did not like the way police officers bent over backwards for him and that he had been vitiating the atmosphere in the area. He is alleged to have contended that he had been thinking about killing the minister for months.

On Tuesday, the investigators made Gopal recreate the crime scene at the Gandhi Chhak in Brajarajnagar where he had shot the minister from a point-blank range on January 29. Holding a replica firearm in one hand and his face covered with a towel, Gopal enacted the entire episode starting from the minister’s arrival to police officers overpowering him after the shootout for at least 40 minutes. The CID officials videographed the entire act.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pradip Purohit alleged that the case was linked to infighting within the Biju Janata Dal and Naba Das was among those in the ruling party who had been trying to succeed chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

The BJD did not react to the opposition lawmaker’s claims.

Chief minister Patnaik will visit Jharsuguda to pay tributes to Naba Das on Thursday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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