Odisha: Cop who killed Naba Das suffers from mental illness
Gopalkrushna Das—the police officer who fatally shot Odisha's Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kisore Das on Sunday—has been suffering from mental illness for years, PTI reported. Berhampur-based senior psychiatrist Dr. Chandra Sekhar Tripathy on Sunday said the police officer was undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder. Despite his mental illness, he was issued a service revolver and appointed in charge of a police post.
What did the psychiatrist say?
Dr. Tripathy, the Head of the Psychiatry Department at MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, said that the accused police officer, who is an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), has been suffering from bipolar disorder for a long time. "Das had first visited my clinic about eight-ten years ago. He used to get angry very easily and was undergoing treatment for this," Dr. Tripathy said.
Disease reappears if medications not taken regularly: Doctor
"I am not sure whether he was taking medicines regularly. If medicines are not taken regularly, the disease reappears. It has been a year since he visited me last," Dr. Tripathy said, while talking about ASI Das.
Accused cop's wife confirmed his mental illness too
Meanwhile, ASI Das's wife, Jayanti, also confirmed that her husband used to take medication for mental illness. "As he stays about 400 kilometers from us, I cannot say whether he was regularly taking medicine," she told PTI. The accused, a native of Ganjam district's Jaleswarkhandi village, began his police career as a constable in Berhampur before being transferred to Jharsuguda district 12 years ago.
Gopalkrushna was issued licensed pistol recently
Jharsugda Sub-Divisional Police Officer Gupteswar Bhoi said the ASI was given a licensed pistol recently after being stationed at a police outpost in the Gandhi Chhak area in Jharsuguda's Brajrajnagar, per PTI. On Sunday, he was deployed for law and order arrangements for the minister's arrival. The ASI had parked his motorcycle about 50m away from the place where he opened fire on Das.
What is bipolar disorder?
According to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), bipolar disorder is a mental health illness that results in significant mood fluctuations ranging from hypomania to sadness. Treatment, including counseling, can help manage the disorder. Bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depressive illness or manic depression) involves unexpected changes in mood, energy, activity levels, focus, and capacity to carry out daily tasks, per NIMH.
What do we know about the incident?
On Sunday, the ASI reportedly fired four-five rounds of bullets at Naba Kisore Das as he stepped out of his car to attend an event at Gandhi Chhak. The minister collapsed immediately following the attack, while another police officer and a local were also injured. Das was rushed to a local hospital and then flown to Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar, where he breathed his last.
