Probe reopens into daylight murder of ex-BJD minister Naba Das
Crime Branch records statements of his family members, law minister promises impartial investigation
3 min read
Naba Das was Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister at the time. (Express Archives)Accusing the previous Biju Janata Dal government of conducting a botched-up investigation into the murder of former BJD minister Naba Kishore Das, the BJP government in Odisha has restarted the probe.
Odisha’s law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said Das’s family are not satisfied with the investigation conducted by the Crime Branch.
“Despite a cabinet minister being murdered in broad daylight, many crucial aspects of the investigation were ignored by the previous government. We hope all the links related to the case will be probed. We want to assure that the investigation will now be conducted in an impartial and expeditious manner,” Harichandan told reporters at the state assembly.
The minister’s statement came on a day when two members of the Crime Branch recorded the statement of the slain minister’s son Vishal Das, daughter and former MLA Dipali Das and wife Minati Das at their residence in Jharsuguda.
Minati has also sought an appointment with the Odisha chief minister to discuss the investigation and demand a CBI probe.
According to the FIR, a police officer, ASI Gopal Das, who was on traffic duty, opened fire at Das from point-blank range as the minister was getting out of his car in Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda district on January 29, 2023. The minister was rushed to the district headquarters hospital and later to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, where he succumbed.
Das was Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister at the time. The accused, who was posted at the Gandhi Chowk police outpost, carried out the killing in the presence of police personnel and the minister’s supporters.
“In the chargesheet submitted by the Crime Branch, it was mentioned that the case was open for further investigation. As a lot of theories related to the case emerged in the media and the family members wanted further investigation, we decided to record their statements. If the investigation is pending into any aspects, we will probe those angles before submitting a final closure report,” a senior Crime Branch official said.
Based on the statements of the family members, the Crime Branch may dig deeper into the conspiracy angle.
The Crime Branch submitted a chargesheet in the case in May 2023, stating that the accused police officer had a personal grudge against the minister and felt “threatened” and “fearful for his life” from him and his supporters.
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