The police officer, who gunned down Naba Kishore Das in broad daylight about four months back, committed the crime as he felt threatened by the veteran politician and then health minister in the BJD government and his supporters, according to the preliminary chargesheet filed by Criminal Investigation Department (CID)-Crime branch.

The deceased minister, who was shot from point blank range by former Assistant Sub Inspector of Police Gopal Krishna Das on 29 January and sustained bullet wounds in his chest, was airlifted to Bhubaneswar from Jharsuguda. Later, he succumbed to injuries after a seven-hour-long battle for survival.

The lone accused, Gopal Das, was arrested immediately after Das’ murder on January 29, 2023, from the spot and was later dismissed from service.

The Crime Branch, which took up the investigation into the high-profile murder case, submitted a 543-page chargesheet in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Court, Jharsuguda against the assailant almost four months after the crime.

“After evaluation of all the evidence – oral, documentary, medico legal, Cyber Forensic and Ballistic opinion – it became clear that the accused, Gopal Krishna Das, had developed personal grudge and anguish against deceased minister Naba Kishore Das. He felt threatened by Mr. Das and his supporters and feared for his life. Gradually he made up his mind to commit his (minister’s) murder. For this he meticulously planned and then executed the crime,” the Crime branch chargesheet claimed.

Though the assailant’s relatives claimed that he was undergoing bipolar psychiatric disorder, the medical examination of the accused ascertained that his mental condition was quite normal, and there was no abnormality.

Moreover, he (the accused) was found cooperative in the investigation and replying to all the questions asked in a cogent manner. The investigation has thus established that Gopal Krishan Das committed the crime in his senses and in a pre-planned manner. His mental condition was found stable and normal, the Crime Branch stated in the charge-sheet.

The investigation was conducted in a highly-professional manner and many experts from outside the state were roped in to assist the investigating teams to prove the crime in a scientific manner. Investigating officers of CID-CB used the latest gadgets and scientific tools to establish the culpability of the accused. For instance, they used Faro Camera for spot recording, LVA test, Polygraph test, Narco test to ascertain the veracity of the statement made by the accused.

It may be recalled here that the slain leader’s daughter, Dipali Das, was recently elected on ruling BJD ticket in by-poll.