Naba Das Murder: Opposition Questions DGP’s Silence On Motive Of Accused

Bhubaneswar: All set to corner the Odisha government on law and order situation during the Budget session beginning from Tuesday, the Opposition on Monday questioned the silence of DGP on revealing the motive behind the murder of minister Naba Kishore Das.

Speaking to media persons in Bhubaneswar, Opposition Chief Whip Mohan Majhi said though 23 days have passed since the minister was shot dead by dismissed ASI Gopal Das, the silence of Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Bansal has baffled the people of the state.

“He (Bansal) is the DGP only on pen and paper. What can he do? If the DGP of a state says Lord Jagannath only knows why the accused killed the minister, what do you expect of him?,” said Majhi.

The DGP, in a press meet on February 3, had evaded the questions on the motive of accused Gopal Das in killing the minister by saying that only Lord Jagannath knows it.

He further said, “The minister had died immediately after being fired from close range. His body was brought to a private hospital and was opearated upon as part of well-planned conspiracy. The chief minister’s statement that he succumbed during treatment despite best efforts of the doctors was meant only to hoodwink the public.”

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Narasingh Mishra also raised the conspiracy angle in the case. Naba Das was a victim of a larger conspiracy. “The murder was planned for a long time. Power struggle within the ruling party was the major factor that led a certain group to eliminate the minister. The minister’s death reflects the deteriorating law and order situation in the state,” said Mishra.