Odisha Police suspends Naba Das personal security officer

The Odisha Police on Wednesday suspended the personal security officer of late minister Naba Kishore Das for dereliction of duty. The officer said that the inspector in-charge of Brajrajnagar police station and the in-charge of Gandhi Chowk police post had been transferred. After the murder of minister Nab Das, the state government on Tuesday transferred the superintendent of police of Jharsuguda and the sub-divisional police officer of Brajrajnagar.

On the evening of January 29, 60-year-old Das was shot dead by a policeman at Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda district. The minister died a few hours later. Naba Das had come here to attend a program. Odisha Police has arrested Assistant Sub-Inspector Gopal Das for allegedly shooting the minister. Gopal Das was dismissed from service on Monday.

The police officer said that Mitrabhanu Dev, the personal security officer of the late minister Naba Kishore Das, has been suspended on charges of dereliction of duty. The official said Dev was on duty when the accused policeman opened fire on Das. The security officer did not take any immediate action. Also, he failed to follow the standard operating procedure during VVIP visits. Das’s personal security officer was questioned by the crime branch team of the state police on Tuesday.

At the same time, an official said that retired Justice JP Das of the Orissa High Court would supervise the investigation into the murder of state Health Minister Naba Kishore Das. The Home Department had requested the High Court to nominate a former judge to oversee the probe being conducted by the Crime Branch of the police.

The state government had handed over the case investigation to the crime branch after the murder of minister Naba Das. At the same time, the opposition BJP demanded a CBI probe into the incident and claimed that the Odisha Police could not bring justice to the late minister as a policeman was the main accused in the case. At the same time, Congress has demanded a court-monitored Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter.