Personal grudge prompted Gopal Das to murder Naba Das: Crime branch chargesheet

A little less than four months after minister Naba Kishore Das was shot dead in broad daylight, the Crime Branch of Odisha police on Friday submitted a preliminary chargesheet in the case. 

The Crime Branch which has been investigating the high-profile murder case submitted the 543-page chargesheet in the court of JMFC, Jharsuguda against dismissed ASI Gopal Das. 

In the chargesheet, the probe team reportedly mentioned that the former minister was killed by Gopal Das over a personal grudge. The accused has been charged under Sections 307, 302 and 27 (1) of the Arms Act.

Shedding light on the motive behind the high-profile murder, the CB in its chargesheet claimed that the accused had developed personal grudge and anguish against Naba Das.

“Gopal Das had developed personal grudge and anguish against deceased minister Naba Kishore Das. He felt threatened from Naba Das and his supporters and feared for his life. Gradually, he made up his mind to kill Das and executed the plan in a pre-planned manner,” reads the statement.

NO BIPOLAR DISORDER:

On the other hand, the CB has clearly denied that Gopal Das is suffering from Bipolar Disorder. Medical examination by a special Medical Board constituted by the DMET, Govt of Odisha has ascertained that his mental condition is quite normal and there was no abnormality.

Moreover, he was cooperative in the investigation and replied to all the questions in cogent manner, the CB stated in the chargesheet. 

The Crime Branch chargesheet further stated that Gopal Das had planned and executed the murder alone. There was no conspiracy or support from anyone else.

On the other hand, the filing of the chargesheet on court holiday due to ‘Sital Sasthi’ has further added to the conspiracy. 

Worth mentioning, Naba Das was on his way to attend an event when Gopal Das opened fire at him from close range with his service revolver. Although he was immediately rushed to Jharsuguda hospital and later shifted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar, he succumbed to the bullet injuries.

The probe agency was earlier accused of attempting to represent Gopal Das as mentally unstable. Several political leaders have also alleged that there is a larger conspiracy behind the murder with the involvement of some bigwigs.

Meanwhile, Naba Das’ daughter Dipali Das has been elected the MLA of Jharsuguda after winning the bypoll.