Opposition parties BJP and Congress on Monday targeted the State Government over the killing of Health Minister Naba Kisore Das on Sunday.

BJP State general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said the Minister’s murder by ASI of Police Gopal Das speaks volumes about the existing law and order situation in the State.

“The broad daylight killing by a cop exposes the weaknesses in the police administration. When a Minister is not safe under this BJD regime, one can well imagine the condition of common man,” said Harichandan.

“We have been hearing about such incidents in other States like Bihar. We hope the Odisha Government wakes up from slumber and takes steps to strengthen the law and order situation,” he added.

Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra said, “If the ASI was mentally ill, why was he given duty and given a revolver just a day before the incident? All this creates suspicion; and hence, the State Government should hand over the probe to the CBI.”

Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja said, “Till now, we have not been able to understand how the State Home Department is functioning. Whenever a Minister is touring a place, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) should be followed.”

According to Saluja, the Intelligence should have collected whether anybody was opposing the Minister, plans of showing black flag or any other suspicious activities ahead of such scheduled tours of Ministers.

“The way the ASI shot the Minister clearly shows there is absolutely no law and order in Odisha. Hence, CM Naveen Patnaik should resign,” demanded Saluja.

Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said, “It was a preplanned murder and there must be some mystery behind it. It is totally not acceptable the way the accused ASI is being labelled as mentally ill. If the ASI was mentally ill, the Government is completely responsible for it. The killing clearly suggests that the intelligence unit is not working.”

Congress MLA Suresh Routray said, “The Government should strengthen law and order so that such incidents do not recur. Else, there is every possibility that the CM, I, IAS officers and others might also face similar consequences. Instead of a Crime Branch inquiry, the Government should order a judicial probe into the Minister’s murder and the investigation should be conducted by a sitting judge of the Orissa High Court.”