Former Odisha Minister Naba Das’ son detained by Chhattisgarh Police

Bishal Das, the son of former Odisha Minister Naba Das, has been detained by police in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district. Police officials from Saraipali Police Station carried out the detention late Thursday night.

Bishal has been detained along with some Samiti members and a village Sarpanch. The incident unfolded just before Friday's no-confidence vote against the Kirmira block Chairman.

In response, Bishal claims that the police actions are unjust. However, the specifics of the charges have not been disclosed yet.

As of now, the Saraipali police have not issued any formal statement detailing the reasons behind the detention or the charges, if any, against Bishal and the others.

“We have been illegally detained at a police station in Chhattisgarh. Our life is under threat. We request the Odisha government and police DG to help us,” said Bishal.

The political landscape in Odisha recently witnessed fresh tensions following a police search conducted at a hotel owned by the family of the late Minister Naba Das in Sambalpur.

Bishal’s sister, Dipali Das, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Jharsuguda, publicly questioned the police actions. She rapped the search as unauthorised and speculated about potential connections to the recent no-confidence motion against the block Chairman.

Dipali suggested that the repercussions of the police actions could impact the outcome of the no-confidence proceedings and warned that the authorities would be accountable for any adverse situations arising out of the same.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged not to politicise the matter. However, the involvement of law enforcement in the search has inevitably stirred political debates.

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In response, the Inspector General (IG) of Police for the North Zone, Himanshu Lal, clarified that the search was part of an ongoing investigation into a missing person case. 

This additional context, however, has not appeased the concerns raised by the Das family.

Following the search at the hotel in Ainthapali, Vishal met IG Himanshu Lal and complained demanding answers regarding the justification for a warrantless search, seeking accountability from the police involved.

“No-confidence vote against the Kirmira block Chairman was to be held at 10.30 am today. However, Jharsuguda police detained our people at the behest of the SP at around 1 am and handed over them to Chhattisgarh police. When my brother went there to know about their situation, he was also detained,” said Dipali.

“It suggests that the BJP is scared. They know that they will be defeated in the no-confidence vote. That is why our people have been detained and democracy is being killed in the process,” she said.

Meanwhile, acting on a complaint lodged by the manager of Hotel Radhika, Sareipali police have registered a case against late BJD leader Naba Das' son Bishal Das and 12 others under Sec 331(4) and 191(2) of BNS for trespassing and ransacking.

Later in the day, late BJD leader Naba Das' son Bishal Das, including 13 others, was released after being served notice under Section 35-B of BNS by Sareipali police, Chhattisgarh.