Bhubaneswar: Police officers investigating the murder of Odisha health minister Naba Kishore Das need more time to unravel the mystery behind the crime, the state’s director general of police (DGP) Sunil Bansal said on Friday, insisting that the police could not just rely on the accused’s confessional statement.
Naba Das was allegedly shot dead by a 53-year-old assistant sub-inspector of police, Gopal Das, in Jharsuguda district on January 29 but the motive behind the killing is unclear.
“It is tough to unravel the mystery in two or four days in such cases. Even though some facts have emerged, it will take some time. If we go by the accused’s confession, we can file chargesheet against him right away. However, further investigation is going on to rule out any angle which we may not be seeing right now. We should not jump to any conclusion and focus only on evidence and not on figments of imagination or wild allegations. A principle of a good investigation is that all options are open. As per Supreme Court guidelines, mere confession is generally not sufficient for conviction,” said Bansal.
The DGP’s statement came after the CID team in Jharsuguda district dug up the septic tank at the Jharsuguda airport police station to recover shreds of paper which the accused ASI had flushed down the toilet after the murder.
A police officer said the ASI allegedly wrote about the murder on a piece of paper before the shots were fired in case he was killed by the minister’s supporters or the police.
After he was captured alive on Sunday afternoon, the ASI was taken to the airport police station where he tore up the paper and flushed it down the toilet.
Bansal said it was difficult to establish the motive.
“To determine the motive, we have to take into account all circumstances during investigation. It is tough to unravel the mystery in two or four days in such cases. Even though some facts have emerged, it will take some time. In order to ensure transparency and rule out any kind of interference in the probe, all senior officials in the district have been transferred as a precaution,” he said.
Bansal said one of the best investigating officers with a stint with the CBI, is personally probing the case while the entire investigation is being monitored by a retired judge of Orissa high court.
“We have contacted Central Forensic Science Laboratory and I have personally discussed the matter with home ministry officials and they assured us to extend all possible help. A CSFL team will be visiting Odisha to carry out a scientific investigation,” said Bansal.
Bansal declined to comment on the suspect’s mental health.
“I am not competent to answer whether he was suffering from bipolar disorder or not. An expert can answer as to what extent it contributed to the crime,” he said.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the assembly and BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra on Friday said that he has given up his personal security officer as he did trust the state police anymore.
“All policemen in Odisha are agents of Biju Janata Dal. As the policemen are working for a political party I have decided to return my personal security,” said Mishra. The BJP leader also alleged that Naba Das was already dead by the time he was wheeled into the Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
“It was weird to see chief minister Naveen Patnaik with folded hands as he was being taken into the Apollo Hospital. A deceased person was operated upon at the hospital. There is a need to investigate all these angles. Since the state government is trying to suppress these facts, the case should be handed over to the CBI,” the BJP leader said.
Bansal said the Odisha police will take steps to review the security of ministers and others after discussions with agencies such as the Special Protection Group and evaluating the practices followed by them.
