Naba murder culprit will be caught: CM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Mjahi on Wednesday said the real culprit in minister Naba Kishore Das’s murder will be caught and given exemplary punishment. Majhi gave the assurance to the minister’s wife Minati Das, who along with her son Bishal and daughter Dipali, met the Chief Minister at the Lok Seva Bhavan here.

The family’s meeting with the Chief Minister came a day after the Crime Branch opened a fresh investigation into the murder case. Majhi told them that a proper investigation would be conducted in the murder case, according to a statement issued by the CMO. “The real culprit in the case will be given exemplary punishment as per the law,” Majhi told them.

The meeting, which was also attended by DGP Y B Khurania and DG (Crime Branch) Vinaytosh Mishra, discussed the progress of the investigation so far. “The Chief Minister said that the way this incident happened is extremely sad and condemnable.

The government will once again examine all aspects of this incident and find the real culprit,” the statement said.

Das, the Health Minister in the previous Naveen Patnaik government, was shot dead by a policeman on January 29, 2023, at Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district where he went to attend a function.

The Crime Branch of the State police, which probed the case, had submitted a charge sheet in the court against ASI Gopal Krushna Das, claiming that he acted alone in murdering Das.

However, the family has been seeking a CBI investigation since then.

Maintaining that the BJP government will give justice, Majhi asked the family to cooperate with the fresh investigation.

He also told Das’s wife that she could personally reach out to him about the matter at any time.

Das’s daughter Dipali, who is a former BJD MLA, said they have urged the Chief Minister to order a CBI probe into the murder. “We have also sought security for our family,” she told reporters after the meeting.