Bhubaneswar: Police ASI Gopal Krushna Das, who killed Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das by firing at a close range, was arrested on Monday by the Crime Branch after a marathon interrogation Monday morning.
Immediately after the arrest, the accused ASI was dismissed from the service by the Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police.
Crime Branch ADG Arun Bothra said they will move the court for a seven-day remand of the accused ASI to further interrogate him and ascertain the reason or motive behind the gruesome act of killing the minister.
ASI Gopal Das had opened fire from his service revolver when Health Minister Naba Das was alighting from his vehicle at Gandhi Chhak in Brajarajnagar on Sunday morning to attend a function.
Police sources said the ASI, who was in charge of traffic clearance at the spot, rushed to the minister when the latter arrived at the spot.
He then opened fire from close range on the minister, piercing his left chest. The ASI was soon overpowered by the IIC of Brajaraj Nagar and another constable who was present at the spot, and in the process, the IIC and another man also sustained injuries when the ASI opened fire with two more rounds from the service revolver.
The minister was immediately transferred to the Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital, from which he was airlifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, where he succumbed to the bullet injury despite the treating doctor’s best efforts.
A team of the Odisha Crime Branch headed by ADG Arun Bothra has already started an investigation into the murder of the minister.
The crime branch team will find out whether there has been any animosity or not between the accused ASI and the minister.
The inspector-in-charge of Brajarajnagar police station had also filed an FIR accusing ASI Gopal Das of firing at the minister with a clear intention to kill him.
Meanwhile, Congress legislature party leader Narashingha Mishra has alleged a conspiracy in the murder of health minister Naba Das, while his party colleague Santish Singh Saluja has demanded a judicial probe into the incident and the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
On the other hand, as the opposition leader in the Odisha Assembly, Jayanarayan Mishra (BJP), has demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
