Medical Board Findings Contradict Odisha Crime Branch’s Claims About Gopal Das’ Mental Health

Bhubaneswar: The Jharsuguda Additional Sessions Judge court, while rejecting the revision petition by Crime Branch for further mental evaluation of Gopal Das, the lone accused in health minister Naba Kishore Das murder case, at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, also noted that the medical board constituted by the Odisha government for his psychiatric examination did not mention any mental illness.

The medical board, which was constituted by the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Odisha, had observed that the accused was well-groomed and maintained eye-to-eye contact and he was “conscious, alert, co-operative and communicative”.

The board headed by Head of Psychiatry Department at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, Prof Ajay Mishra had submitted its report on February 5. Excerpts from the psychiatric examination report have been mentioned in the order of the Jharsuguda district court pronounced on March 3.

“The person is conscious, alert, co-operative and communicative. He is well groomed with eye to eye contact. Rapport is established. Mood and affect-appropriate to the situation. Speech is relevant, coherent and goal directed. Thought content-no abnormality, perception-no abnormality, orientation-intact, memory-immediate, recent, remote all intact, judgment-intact, intelligence-average, Abstract thinking – intact, insight present. The above observation made by the medical board nowhere it is found that the accused is suffering from mental illness,” the order read.

Also Read: Naba Das Case: Jharsuguda District Court Rejects CB Plea For Gopal Das’ NIMHAS Test

While claiming that Gopal had a prolonged history of mental illness, the Crime Branch had stated that the medical board opined that “there is a need to have detailed examination of the accused to come to a definite conclusion about his mental health”.

“We pleaded that if his mental state is good and the medical board found no abnormality, what is the need for his further examination,” Gopal’s advocate Hari Shankar Agarwal said.

He alleged that the board was pressurised to mention that “it needs to be assessed for longitudinal observation along with comprehensive evaluation including psychiatric and other relevant investigation.”

“While the board had clearly mentioned that Gopal Das was mentally sound, and it only opined that further investigation is required, on basis of which, the Crime Branch moved the court,” he added.

The senior BJD leader and state minister died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhubaneswar on January 29, hours after he was shot at from point-blank range by the dismissed ASI at Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda district.