Naba Das Murder: Odisha Govt Trying To Save Accused Cop, Claims Jayanarayan Mishra

Bhubaneswar: With a court holding Gopal Das, lone accused in Odisha Minister Naba Kishore Das murder case, mentally sound, opposition BJP on Tuesday sharpened its attack on the BJD government accusing it of making all efforts to save the dismissed policeman as part of a conspiracy.

BJP stalwart and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jayanarayan Mishra said the Jharsuguda Additional Sessions Judge court has noted that the medical board formed by the state government for Gopal’s psychiatric examination did not find any mental illness.

Alleging a deep rooted conspiracy behind the murder of Naba Das, Mishra claimed that police is trying to prove that Gopal is mentally unstable as it does not want to find out the real conspirator and the motive behind the crime.

Coming down heavily on the state government, the senior BJP leader alleged that the person who had given ‘Supari’ (contract) to the former assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police to eliminate the Health Minister had also assured him that no action will be taken against him for the act.

Noting that there is a legal provision to relax punishment for mentally unsound people, Mishra claimed that it is now quite clear as to why police has been trying to prove Gopal is mentally unstable.

The BJP leader said the way a doctor suddenly appeared soon after Naba Das’ murder to claim that Gopal was mentally unsound showed there was a deep conspiracy behind the killing.

He also wondered as to why the dismissed ASI’s statement was recorded before the magistrate if he was mentally unsound. “All these show that police has all along been enacting drama without seriously trying to ascertain the motive behind the killing,” Mishra claimed.

Accusing the state government of making all possible efforts to save the accused policeman, the firebrand leader said BJP has been demanding a CBI probe into the murder as the Crime Branch of the state police cannot be expected to conduct a fair investigation in the sensational case.

It may be noted here that Gopal had allegedly shot Naba Das in the chest at Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district on January 29. The Minister succumbed to bullet injuries at a Bhubaneswar hospital hours later the same evening.