Minister died due to cardiogenic shock after being shot, says report

Odisha police Wednesday said that the post-mortem report of the slain health minister Naba Kishore Das suggested that he died due to cardiogenic shock after being shot.

The shooter, dismissed additional sub-inspector Gopal Das, has been remanded to four-day police custody and his interrogation is being conducted by the state CID.

The police will now organise a forensic psychological assessment of the accused by experts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in New Delhi, it said.

The Odisha police said in a statement, The post-mortem report suggests that the death was caused due to cardiogenic shock as a result of firearm injuries and is homicidal in nature.

The additional director general of police, CID-Crime, Odisha, Arun Bothra is camping at the spot and personally monitoring and supervising the investigation into the case.

The CID team is examining witnesses, including supporters of the dead minister who were present at the spot during the firing on January 29, 2023, while another team is verifying the medical treatment records of the accused who has been described as suffering from bipolar disorder by psychiatrists who were treating him, an official said.

The 60-year-old minister was shot at allegedly by the ASI at Gandhi Chowk of Brajrajnagar in his home district of Jharsuguda when he went there for an official programme on January 29. The minister succumbed to bullet injuries at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar later in the day.