Odisha minister assassination: SP, SDPO transferred

Bhubaneswar, Jan 31, 2023, IANS

Two days after the assassination of Odisha Health Minister Naba Das in Jharsuguda, the state government on Tuesday transferred the district's SP and Brajarajnagar SDPO to police headquarters.

According to official orders, Superintendent of Oolice, Jharsuguda, Rahul Jain and sub-divisional police officer, Brajarajnagar, Gupteswar Bhoi have been attached to state police headquarters, Cuttack.

Bhoi has been replaced by SDPO of Athamallik, Chintamani Pradhan, while Bargarh SP Parmar Smit Parshottamdas has transferred to Jharsuguda.

Police ASI Gopal Das killed the minister by firing a bullet near Gandhi Chhak of Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda on January 29.

The state government has taken this move after criticism from the opposition BJP and Congress, which lashed out at the Chief Minister and DGP for not taking any action against persons, who were given the responsibility of security for the minister.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has picked up Das's elder brother, who was in continuous contact with the accused till the incident happened.

The brother was picked up by a team of the CID from Das's ancestral home at Jaleswarpur village under B.N. Pur police limits in Berhampur, sources said.

Das's brother was running a hotel at Brajarajnagar, where the minister was killed. The hotel was only set up some one month back and it reportedly remained closed on the incident day.

To ascertain the reason behind the murder, the CID team examined the accused's wife, other family members and villagers.

The Crime Branch team camping at Jharsuguda revisited the murder spot with the scientific officers and ballistic experts. The team has put a 3D scanner to find further clues from the spot. The scanner has taken entire details of the spot in 3R format that will help the investigator in understanding the sequence of events better, the Crime Branch said in a statement.

The vehicle used by the Minister was thoroughly inspected by the scientific officer and ballistic experts to find out evidence and clues. CCTV footage from nearby the spot was also verified. Examination of the spot and witnesses is continuing by the team, it said.

Meanwhile, the CID has also constituted one more team consisting of 8 officers led by DSP Basudev Bhuyan, who have left for Jharsugda to conduct/assist in the investigation and examination of the accused and witnesses.

Though two days have passed since the murder, the police have yet to ascertain the motive behind the crime.