Odisha’s Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, a confidant of the chief minister, passed away on Sunday, 29 January from bullet injuries, reported Apollo Hospital Bhubaneswar. The state health minister was shot and grievously injured when he got out of his car on Sunday, allegedly by a police officer who was captured, officials said.
The minister was airlifted from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar and was battling for his life at Apollo Hospitals there. The hospital authorities were quoted by news agency PTI saying, “Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare minister Naba Kishore Das dies of bullet injury”.
The shooting took place in Brajrajnagar town around 1 pm when the minister was on his way to attend a programme in the district.
“Assistant Sub-inspector of Police (ASI) Gopal Das opened fire at the minister, who sustained bullet injuries,” Brajrajnagar SDPO Gupteswar Bhoi told reporters. The accused ASI was nabbed by locals, who then handed him over to the police, he said.
Condemning the incident, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the crime branch has been directed to take up the investigation of the case.
“I am shocked at the unfortunate incident of attack on honourable minister Naba Das. I strongly condemn the attack on him.”
Initially, he was taken to the Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital, the SDPO said.
Das was airlifted to Bhubaneswar in an air ambulance and admitted to Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar.
Tension prevailed in Brajrajnagar in the wake of the incident, with supporters of the BJD minister questioning “security lapses”.
Bhoi said that the ASI was currently being interrogated, and more details will be available after a thorough probe.
The minister, a strongman in the mining hub of Jharsuguda, had switched over to the BJD from the Congress ahead of 2019 elections. He is known to have business interests in coal mining, transportation and hospitality sectors.
Meanwhile, Gopal Das’s wife Jayanati told reporters at her residence near Berhampur in Ganjam district that she heard the news about her husband firing at the minister from television channels.
Jayanati said Das suffered from mental disorder for the last seven-eight years, and was taking medicines and appeared quite normal.
She said her husband had made a video call to their daughter in the morning.
Das had no personal enmity with the minister, said Jayanati, demanding a proper investigation into the matter to find out the truth.
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