Odisha Health Minister was considered a close confidant of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. (File)
New Delhi:
Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das died of bullet injuries on Sunday, hours after an assistant sub-inspector shot him in the chest. He was airlifted to the Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar where he succumbed to his injuries.
Here are five facts about the minister:
- Naba Kishore Das was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare in Odisha, and an influential leader from Jharsuguda. He was among the few Congress leaders who could withstand the Naveen Patnaik wave for nearly two decades.
- A law graduate, Naba Das was involved in politics from his college days and was elected as the Students' Union president at Gangadhar Meher College at Sambalpur.
- He won his first state election from Jharsuguda in 2009 on a Congress ticket and was re-elected from Jharsuguda in 2014. Five years later, he joined the BJD.
- Considered a close confidant of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Naba Das was one of the few ministers who retained his portfolio as the chief minister revamped his cabinet. He was applauded for being pro-active during the Covid pandemic.
- He is believed to be one of the richest members of Naveen Patnaik's cabinet and has properties worth Rs 34 crore, according to a property statement filed in 2022.
