Odisha health minister died due to cardiogenic shock : Post mortem report
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Odisha police Wednesday said that the post-mortem report of the slain health minister Naba Kishore Das suggested that he died due to "cardiogenic shock".
The collection, collation and analysis of evidence collected so far has been done by a CID-Crime Branch (CB) team and steps are being taken to conduct a forensic psychological assessment and layered voice analysis test of the accused by experts of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in New Delhi, it said.
The additional director general of police, CID-Crime, Odisha, Arun Bothra is camping at the spot and personally monitoring and supervising the investigation into the case.
The Odisha police said in a statement, "The PM report suggests that the death was caused due to cardiogenic shock as a result of firearm injuries and is homicidal in nature".
The police have taken the accused, dismissed additional sub-inspector Gopal Das, on a four-day remand and his interrogation is being conducted by the CID-CB team.
A team led by a DSP is examining the witnesses, including supporters of the dead minister who were present at the spot during the firing on January 29, 2023, while another team headed by another DSP is verifying the medical treatment aspect and financial behavior of accused, an official said.
Examination of neighbours and villagers is being done by the second team at the native village of the accused in Ganjam district.
The police have inspected the vehicle and the crime spot with the assistance of a scientific officer and ballistic experts using a FARO 3-D Scanner, he said.
The 60-year-old minister was shot at allegedly by the ASI at Gandhi Chowk of Brajrajnagar in his home district of Jharsuguda when he went there for an official programme on January 29. The minister succumbed to bullet injuries at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar later in the day.
The opposition BJP and Congress denounced the inquiry by the crime branch and naming of a retired High Court Judge to monitor the investigation into the case.
The killing of the minister by a policeman was the first in the country since the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, Odisha BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said on Wednesday.
The people of the state are feeling unsafe after the killing of the minister in the presence of many security personnel and the state government is attempting to give a clean chit to itself, he said.
The investigation cannot be impartial unless it is invested by CBI, the BJP leader said and alleged that the CB has not been probing the conspiracy angle in the cabinet minister's killing.
"The state government has no interest to know the reason behind the minister's killing. It appears that the government is attempting to come out clean in the incident. Who is behind the conspiracy? The people across the state are suspecting a deep rooted conspiracy behind the minister's killing," he asserted.
On the appointment of a retired judge to monitor the case, Harichandan referred to the investigation into the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, a monk and a VHP leader, in Kandhamal district in 2008. "A judicial probe was held, but no result so far," he said.
People are also yet to know the outcome of the judicial probe into the alleged rape and murder of a dalit girl at Kunduli in Koraput district, he added.
Senior Congress MLA Santosh Sigh Saluja demanded an SIT probe into the minister's murder, which, he said, could be the outcome of a high-level conspiracy.
"Since Das was involved both in politics and business, the conspiracy could have been hatched from these two sections. But the crime branch of police is not interested to investigate this," he said.
The ruling BJD rejecting the allegations said the BJP leaders are making statements against the investigations out of frustration as they have been rejected by the people.
"BJP leaders should have faith in the judiciary and the investigation is being monitored by a retired High Court judge," BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty said at a separate press conference here.
The Odisha BJP leaders are "simply forgetting minimum political courtesy," he added.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
