Odisha government seeks FBI assistance in minister's murder case

The Odisha government on Saturday said it has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for taking assistance from the FBI to investigate the murder of minister Naba Kishore Das.

In a statement, the government said assistant sub-inspector of police Gopal Krishna Das, who allegedly shot the minister dead at a public function in January, told the investigators that he was taking medicine for mental illness.

However, medical experts found him mentally fit but suggested further examination, it said.

As it is a very important, sensitive and rare case, it was decided to use the best techniques and experts to help in the investigation, the statement said.

In order to clearly establish that the accused has sound mental health, the Crime Branch decided to approach the Behavioural Analysis Unit of FBI, which has the best experts and equipment for such criminal investigation, it said.

Image Credit: AP

Accordingly, the state Home Department approached the MHA for the assistance of FBI for the help in the investigation, it added.

"Earlier also, help has been sought and received from the FBI by various police agencies of the country in their cases as in 26/11 Mumbai blast case and in Bhanwari Devi murder case of CBI (sic)," the statement said.

The state government wrote to the MHA on February 22, it said.

The statement was issued amid allegations from the opposition BJP and Congress that the state government misled the people over the issue as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stated in the assembly that FBI's help was south in the case, but nothing concrete was happening in the reality.

Speaking in the assembly on February 22, Patnaik said, "We have requested the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to facilitate an evaluation of the behaviour of the accused by the Behavioral Support Unit of the FBI of the United States of America." Das, the health minister, died on January 29 evening, hours after he was shot by the policeman at Gandhi Chhak in the Brajrajnagar area of Jharsuguda district, where he had gone to attend an event. PTI AAM SOM SOM