No progress in getting FBI help in Naba murder case

Bhubaneswar: Forty-five days after the state government announced to seek the help of US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the behavioural analysis of sacked SI Gopal Das, accused of killing health minister Naba Kisore Das, and approached the Centre to facilitate the same, the state government is yet to receive any response. The crime branch probing the murder case is planning to file charge-sheet towards the end of next month. “We are waiting a response from the ministry of home affairs,” a crime branch officer said.
Amid political uproar over the murder of the high-profile politician by policeman in uniform on January 29, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on February 22 had told the assembly that the government had approached the Union home ministry to facilitate the behavioural evaluation of Gopal, who has a history of prolonged mental illness, by behavioural analysis experts of the FBI. The state had approached the MHA to take the FBI’s help in the case as per the US-India Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
“We have requested the ministry of home affairs to facilitate an evaluation of the behaviour of the accused by the behavioural support unit of the FBI,” Naveen had told the assembly.
The crime branch has no information on whether the MHA had taken it up with the US agency or has received any response from the latter. As a policeman, Gopal (54), now in judicial custody, had remained absent from duty ‘unauthorised’ for 179 days in two phases in 2014 and in 2015 for treating his ‘bipolar affective disorder.’ Though the crime branch had approached the court to take him to National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru for analysis of his mental health, the court had rejected its petitions twice.