Naba Das Murder: NIMHANS Rejects Odisha Crime Branch’s Plea To Examine Gopal Das In Jail

Bhubaneswar: The National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru has turned down Odisha’s Crime Branch’s request to evaluate mental condition of Gopal Das, the sacked ASI who allegedly pumped bullets into health minister Naba Kisore Das in January, at the jail where he is currently lodged.

The state investigating agency had requested NIMHANS to send a team to Choudwar circle jail in Cuttack for mental health examination of Gopal. The institute, however, stated that it is not feasible to conduct such an evaluation in jail and insisted that the patient be instead brought to the southern state.

Last month, Additional District and Sessions Judge at Jharsuguda had rejected CB’s petition seeking a detailed examination of the accused at NIMHANS in Bengaluru. The court also referred to Gopal’s evaluation by a medical board, consisting of four psychiatrists, which clearly indicated that he suffered from no mental illness.

The CB, however, stressed that it wanted to validate the findings from the NIMHANS’ experts, sources told TOI, adding that the objective was plug all loopholes in the case which Gopal may misuse to get relief from court.

The agency had argued its case by citing medical board’s opinion: “There is a need to have detailed examination of the accused to come to a definite conclusion about his mental health”. His family members and a doctor had also told the media that he suffered from dipolar disorder and was under medication for the last 8-9 years.

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.

The motive behind the murder, however, is yet to be clear.