Bhubaneswar: Two years after BJD’s heavyweight cabinet minister Naba Kishore Das was shot dead by a cop on duty in Jharsuguda district, his daughter Dipali on Wednesday sought a probe by the CBI into her father’s death. She appealed to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi to consult with her family before proceeding.
Speaking to media persons at Jharsuguda, Dipali, a BJD leader and former MLA, stated: “In the last assembly session, two BJP MLAs raised the issue of my father’s death. The BJP and media have been questioning why I am not demanding a CBI probe. Now, my question to the Mohan Majhi govt is this: Will it conduct a CBI investigation? Will the govt stand with us and take forward the investigation?”
Dipali further said: “The chief minister should discuss with our family and can go ahead with the CBI probe if they want.”
The development assumes significance as law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, in an exclusive interview to TOI on Aug 12, stated that the new BJP govt would reopen the case of Naba Das’s murder along with a few other high-profile old crimes.
Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Gopal Das shot Naba at a public gathering in Jharsuguda on January 29, 2023. Gopal is currently in judicial custody and undergoing trial.
Dipali remained silent about her reasons for not requesting a CBI investigation earlier. She also avoided questions about her satisfaction with the state Crime Branch investigation and whether she discussed a CBI probe with former chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
When Naveen assigned the investigation to the state Crime Branch, the opposition BJP requested CBI involvement. The BJP alleged that Naba’s death might be linked to ‘political and business rivalries’, which the BJD dismissed.
The Crime Branch investigation ruled out political and business-related disputes in Naba’s murder case. They also concluded there was no conspiracy involved.
According to the Crime Branch’s chargesheet, Gopal’s actions were driven by personal animosity and his false belief that Naba and his supporters threatened his life. The document stated that various incidents led Gopal to believe that Naba and his supporters would harm him.