India News | Odisha Minister Killing: Accused Ex-ASI Moved to Choudwar Jail in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar, Feb 14 (PTI) Dismissed assistant sub-inspector Gopal Das, who allegedly shot dead Odisha minister Naba Kishore Das, was on Tuesday shifted to Choudwar circle jail in Cuttack from Jharsuguda sub-jail amid tight security, a top prison official said.

Director General (Prison) Manoj Chhabra said that Gopal Das was shifted to the jail in Cuttack as he had made a request for the same, citing security concerns.

Also Read | Uttarakhand: 'Man-Eater' Tigress Trapped by Forest Department in Kosi Range.

Das, who was immediately arrested after he allegedly opened fire at the ex-minister, was sent to jail in Jharsuguda after completion of 13 days of remand with the crime branch of police, which is probing into the high-profile case.

The former ASI was recently taken to Gandhinagar in Gujarat for Polygraph and Narco Analysis Test, and his statement under section 164 of CrPC was subsequently recorded before the judicial magistrate, first class.

Also Read | Lord Gautam Buddha's Ashes To Be Displayed for 'Darshan' in Mumbai on February 15.

Earlier, the police had said that Das has confessed to his crime.

A senior prison official said that Das would stay in a special cell of the circle jail at Choudwar under CCTV surveillance. He will be treated as a sensitive undertrial prisoner in the wake of his alleged involvement in the killing of a minister.

The opposition BJP and the Congress had in the past expressed concern over the safety of Gopal Das, citing cases from the past where the prime accused were found murdered under mysterious circumstances.

Meanwhile, sources in the crime branch said that the reports of the tests conducted on the accused were yet to arrive.

Odisha's then health minister Naba Kishore Das was shot in chest, allegedly by Gopal Das, at Gandhi Chhak in Brajrajnagar area of Jharsuguda district on January 29. The minister died at a Bhubaneswar hospital hours later.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)