Naba Kishore Das, the health minister of Odisha, was killed by a fellow security guard
On January 29, an associate sub-inspector of police in the western Odisha town of Brajarajnagar gunned down and killed Naba Kishore Das, the state’s minister for health and family welfare.
Gopal Das, a police officer assigned to the Gandhi Chowk police station in Brajarajnagar, was named as the shooter. In the past, he had worked as the minister’s private security guard.
According to reports, Mr. Gopal Das opened fire with his service pistol at Gandhi Chowk on January 29 at midday as the minister got out of his car to greet his supporters. A Brajarajnagar office was supposed to be opened by Mr. Naba Kisore Das.
“According to early information, the Minister was slated to attend a ceremony inside the boundaries of the Brajarajnagar police station.” According to Deepak Kumar, the Inspector General of Police for the northern area, “a man started firing at him from a very close distance about 12.10 p.m. when he stepped out of the vehicle.”
After receiving two gunshot wounds, the minister passed out. He was transferred to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters hospital and then evacuated to Bhubaneswar for extra care at the Apollo Hospital.
The chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, condemned the attack on the health minister. He conveyed his sorrow and concern over Minister Das’ tragically premature passing. He served the party and the government well. He has successfully completed a number of projects at the medical institution for the benefit of the public. According to the BJD supremo and chief minister of Odisha, he enhanced the “Biju Janata Dal” as a leader.
The unfortunate attack is being looked into by the State Police’s crime unit. Arun Bothra, a second deputy general of police, a seven-person crime branch team, and other officials hurried over to the area to do more investigation. Regarding the shooter’s motivations, his psychological state, or whether the killing was preplanned, the Odisha police have not released any statements.
According to Mr. Das’ asset report, he owned over 70 high-value vehicles and managed a thriving transport business in the mineral-rich Jharsuguda region.
Since 2009, he has won three elections in a row from Jharsuguda: twice as a Congress candidate and once as a BJD candidate. This represents a rapid rise in politics for him. Just before the 2019 elections, he changed sides after serving as the functioning secretary of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. He was appointed the state’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare by the BJD government after winning.