Cop who shot Odisha minister suffered from mental illness, says wife, psychiatrist

The cop who shot dead Odisha Health Minister Naba Kisore Das, Assistant Sub-inspector of Police (ASI) Gopal Das, was reportedly suffering from mental illness, according to his wife and a psychiatrist.

Dr Chandra Sekhar Tripathy, Psychiatry department head, MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur reportedly claimed that Das was suffering from bipolar disorder, according to media reports.

“Das had first visited my clinic about eight to ten years ago. He used to get angry very easily and was undergoing treatment for this,” Dr. Tripathy stated.

“I am not sure whether he was taking medicines regularly. If medicine are not taken regularly, the disease reappears. It has been a year since he visited me last,” he added further.

The accused cop’s wife also seemed to confirm his mental health issues, iterating that she knew that he was taking medication for eight years. She did, however, state that she was not aware of whether he was currently taking medication or not, media outlets reported.

“As he stays about 400 km from us, I cannot say whether he was regularly taking medicine,” the wife stated to media outlets.

Odisha Health Minister Naba Kisore Das was shot dead on Sunday at Gandhi Chowk near Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district while arriving at an event he was the chief guest of. He was subsequently rushed to an Apollo Hospital, where he succumbed to injuries hours later, according to media reports.

Visuals from the incident show the Health Minister getting shot at moments after stepping out of his car at a public grievance office opening where he was named the chief guest.

Formerly an advocate, Mr. Naba Kisore Das was appointed the Health Minister on May 29, 2019, and had been serving as the Health Minister in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) since.