In a shocking incident, Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das was allegedly shot by a deputy sub-inspector of police in Jharsuguda district on Sunday, a senior official said. The Minister of State has been airlifted to Bhubaneswar as he remains in critical condition.
The accused has been captured and the Odisha Police have launched an investigation into the matter. the reason for the action has not yet been clarified. “The criminal branch has been ordered to take over the investigation of the case. Senior officers of the criminal branch have been asked to come to the scene,” authorities said.
“Associate Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI) Gopal Das opened fire on the minister, who sustained gunshot wounds,” Brajrajnagar SDPO Gupteswar Bhoi told reporters.
The accused ASI was caught by locals, who then handed him over to police, he said.
A video was shared showing moments when Naba Kishore Das was shot. The shooter cannot be seen, but the minister can be seen collapsing as people around him are seen trying to drag him back to the car.
The PTI news agency shared the video showing Naba Kishore Das bleeding from his chest with people trying to lift the injured minister, who appeared unconscious, onto the front seat of a car.
Main updates of this great story
-The shooting incident took place in the city of Brajrajnagar at around 1 pm when the minister, who was on his way to attend a program in the district, had got out of the car to greet people.
-Naba Kishore Das was shot twice in the chest by ASI Gopal Das
-Initially, he was taken to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital. Das was later airlifted to a Bhubaneswar hospital for “better treatment”. According to the Odisha Police, a green corridor has been set up in the state capital to transport the minister to Bhubaneswar hospital.
-Prime Minister Naveen Patnaik said the criminal branch has been ordered to take over the investigation into the case. “I am shocked by the unfortunate incident of the attack on Hon’ble Minister Naba Das. I strongly condemn the attack on him. I pray for his speedy recovery.
-The minister, a strongman in the mining hub of Jharsuguda, had switched to BJD from Congress before the 2019 elections. He is known to have business interests in the coal mining, transport and hospitality sectors.
-Tension prevailed in Brajrajnagar in the aftermath of the incident, with supporters of the BJD minister questioning “security lapses”.