"Will Expose Mystery" Behind Odisha Minister's Murder, Claims BJP MLA

Leader of the opposition in Odisha, Jaynarayan Mishra, on Saturday asserted that he will expose the mastermind behind the murder of state minister Naba Kishore Das by a police officer last month.

Mr Mishra, a BJP leader who is currently in the eye of a storm for allegedly pushing a policewoman during a protest on Wednesday, also alleged that several high-profile people are involved in the minister's killing and it must be investigated by the CBI.

Das, who was the health minister of Odisha, was shot at by an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police in Jharsuguda district on January 29 when he was on his way to attend a programme. He succumbed to his injuries later that day in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.

"The ASI was merely the shooter, but who was his handler? I will soon expose the mystery surrounding the brutal murder of cabinet minister Naba Das," Mr Mishra told PTI.

The accused police officer was arrested and dismissed from service. He was recently taken to Gujarat for Polygraph and Narco Analysis Tests by the Crime Branch probing the case.

The BJD government needs to answer a lot of questions, Mr Mishra said.

"They (state government) are saying the ASI was mentally unstable. Then why was he given a gun? According to the ECG report, Naba Dash died in Jharsuguda. Then why was he brought to Bhubaneswar?" the BJP leader asked.

Mr Mishra said he will raise issues such as the Naba Das murder case, crime against women and law and order situation in the state in the next session of the assembly which will commence on February 21.

Reacting to his assertions, senior BJD leader Sashi Bhusan Behera said the ruling party is prepared to discuss any issue in the assembly.

Mr Mishra alleged that those behind the murder of Naba Das are also conspiring against him.

Though the leader of the opposition did not elaborate on that, he was booked under various IPC sections including 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) for allegedly pushing a lady cop during a protest in front of the Sambalpur district collector's office on Wednesday.

However, the 60-year-old BJP leader claimed that he had pushed her in a reflex action as the policewoman, who was wearing a boot, stomped on his foot that has just a slipper on.

Refusing to apologise for the Sambalpur incident as demanded by the ruling BJD, Mr Mishra had on Friday described himself as "a victim of police atrocity".

He had also given up his personal security officer (PSO) on February 3, claiming that he has lost faith in the police force following the murder of the minister.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)