Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, 61, dies hours after being shot at by a cop

Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das died of bullet injury after being critically wounded, officials at Apollo Hospital Bhubaneshwar where he was being treated informed on Sunday evening. Das was shot at by a policeman near Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district on Sunday while on his way to attend an event.

He was airlifted to Bhubaneshwar where he was being treated by a team of specialists at the private hospital. He was shot at around 12:30 in the afternoon at Gandhi chowk by the accused ASI Gopal Das. Das had sustained bullet injuries to the left side of the chest. The cop had shot at him from point-blank range, an eyewitness said. The exact reason behind the shooting remains unclear. Crime Branch is set to investigate the incident.

Meanwhile, it emerged that ASI Gopal Das had been a little disturbed mentally, his wife Jayanti Das was quoted as saying by reporters. 

“Pehle bilkul theek the. Lekin unki dimaag thodi si kharaab tha. Woh medicine le rahe the… 7/8 saal se woh medicine le rahe the. Unke kuchh bhi problem nahi tha. 4/5 mahine pehle ghar aaye the.. Sab kuchh normal tha (Earlier he was quite fine, but his mind was not quite right. He was taking medicine...for the last 7/8 years. He didn't have any problem. He came home 4/5 months ago. Everything was normal.),” the accused cop’s wife had said after the shooting incident.

Late Naba Kishore Das was regarded as one of the most powerful politicians in Odisha. He reportedly commanded massive influence in the area where he was shot. Das was a member of the Congress party until 2019. He then moved to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), party led by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and was awarded with the ministerial portfolio. 

Das’ career in politics began during his student days. He studied at Gangadhar Meher College in Sambalpur area. He recently made the headlines over a rumoured expensive donation to a Maharashtra temple: a gold urn worth over Rs 1 crore. Das was said to have donated a 1.7 kg gold urn and 5 kg silver to the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

READ | Cop who shot at Odisha Health Minister was mentally disturbed, reveals his wife