BHUBANESWAR: Opposition BJP and ruling BJD engaged in a new round of verbal fight over the ongoing murder investigation of cabinet minister Naba Kisore Das on Tuesday, as the motive of the crime remains undisclosed by the crime branch.
Addressing a news conference at BJP state headquarters here, party spokesperson and senior lawyer Pitambar Acharya said the state government had misled the entire state by falsely claiming that the probe is being monitored by the Orissa high court. “I dare the government to substantiate the claim. There is no HC proceeding on court monitoring the inquiry,” he said.
The government has earlier said former Orissa HC judge JP Das has been nominated by the HC to monitor the probe. A government officer said the home department had written to the registrar general of the HC to nominate a current or retired judge.
"There is no judicial proceeding nor any consultation under the Commissions of Inquiry Act. Justice Das has not been judicially appointed to supervise the police investigation. The government should not entangle the HC name and tarnish its image,” Acharya said, adding the retired judge’s involvement in the probe will be interpreted during trial as that of an outsider. This will favour the accused, he said.
The BJP leader said a cabinet minister’s murder in full public view is an unprecedented crime and various sections of people suspect a big conspiracy behind his elimination, the government should show sincerity to know who conspired it and why, he said while reiterating the BJP demand for a CBI probe into the assassination.
Countering the BJP, government chief whip and BJD MLA Prasanta Muduli said the Crime Branch has been moving in the right direction under judicial supervision. The BJP should refrain from politicising it, he said.
Another BJD spokesperson Sanjay Sahoo there is no ambiguity in the monitoring by a retired judge. “The BJP leaders are trying to derail the investigation process by raising different issues. They are trying to create a false narrative which is deplorable. We have complete faith in the judicial system and the probe by the crime branch,” he said.
On demand for CBI probe, Sahoo said the crime branch has done an excellent job to solve past many crimes and would do so this time too.
