Accused’s wife Jayanti said her husband was reportedly suffering from some mental illness
Team News Riveting
Jharsuguda, January 29
Odisha’s Health Minister Naba Das was assassinated as a police Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) opened fire on him at Brajarajnagar today.
The critically wounded Minister was air lifted to Bhubaneswar but he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in a private hospital.
The incident took place when the Minister alighted from a car to attend a programme and his supporters were garlanding him. He sustained bullet injuries on his chest.
The minister was rushed to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital. It was later decided to airlift him to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar as his condition deteriorated.
“The Health Minister was admitted to Apollo Hospital with gunshot wounds to the left chest. A team of doctors led by Dr. Debashish Nayak immediately attended the Minister and operated on him. Upon operation, it was found that a single bullet had entered and exited the body, injuring the heart and left lung and causing massive internal bleeding. The injuries were repaired, and steps were taken to improve the pumping of the heart. He was given urgent ICU care. But despite best of efforts, he could not be revived. The Minister succumbed to his injuries,” said the medical bulletin issued by the hospital said.
The accused cop, identified as Gopal Das, was immediately nabbed. He was serving as an ASI at the Gandhi Chhak police outpost at Brajarajnagar. The officer used his service revolver to fire at the Minister, said SDPO of Brajarajnagar Gupteswar Bhoi said.
The Odisha Crime Branch has been handed over the case for probe.
Das began his political career from Congress party. He was elected to Odisha Assembly twice from Jharsuguda constituency in 2009 and 2014. He had served as the working president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. Das left Congress and joined ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) just before the 2019 Assembly elections.
He was appointed as the Health Minister in the Cabinet of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Das was the richest MLA in Odisha. Recently, Das was in news for donating a gold pitcher to a Shani temple in Maharashtra. He had declared properties worth Rs 34 crore in his disclosure to the government last year. An MA LLB degree holder, the Minister reportedly owned 70 vehicles and three firearms.
Meanwhile, accused’s wife Jayanti said her husband was reportedly suffering from some mental illness for last few years. “I have no idea as to why my husband opened fire on the minister. He had made a video call to our daughter in the morning. But he discontinued the call after a few seconds,” she said. Jayanti claimed that Gopal has been suffering from some mental illness for last seven to eight years and the cop is under medication.
“He was taking medicines and behaving like a normal person. He never harmed anybody. He had visited his native village four or five months ago,” she said.
