Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 (IANS) In a startling revelation that surfaced on Saturday in the report of the Land Revenue Joint Commissioner over the suicide of the Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu, it appears to be a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by the accused and former Kannur district panchayat president P.P. Divya, also a top CPI-M leader in Kannur.
Babu was found hanging at his official residence on October 15, 2024, just a day after he was publicly accused of corruption by Divya.
The incident occurred shortly after his official farewell in Kannur. Divya, then the Kannur District Panchayat President, had attended Babu’s farewell event uninvited and accused him of corruption.
The allegations were linked to a delay in issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a petrol pump application by T.V. Prasanth, an electrician at Kannur Medical College. Notably, Prasanth was reportedly a colleague of Divya’s husband, raising questions about possible personal motives.
The report which surfaced on Saturday, points out that the Kannur district collector had asked her not to attend the farewell function as it was only an office affair.
Records also point out that the staff of Divya had contacted the staff of the collector a few times.
The report also points out that there was no evidence of the bribery allegation and there was no delay in Babu sanctioning the license for the pump.
The report also said that the only TV channel that covered the farewell function was a local one and the channel officials have testified that they were asked by Divya to come and cover it.
After the TV channel covered the farewell function, Divya took the visuals and it was she who extensively shared the visuals on her mobile phone.
Opposition legislator K.K. Rema the wife of former firebrand CPI-M leader in Kozhikode T.P.Chandrasekheran who was brutally killed by a group of CPI-M workers, said the report that has come out is very crucial.
“We have always believed and said this is a mysterious case and even a murder was suspected. But the present Kerala Police probe is yet to be made public. Everything is mysterious as the autopsy of Babu was conducted at a place which the family did not want. This is a planned murder in which others are also involved besides Divy,” said Rema.
The report indicting Divya comes five days after a division bench of the Kerala High Court dismissed an appeal filed by the wife of deceased Babu, challenging a single-judge bench’s refusal to order a CBI probe into his death.
Following the verdict, Babu’s family expressed deep disappointment, stating that key facts were being overlooked in the current investigation and they are now considering their next legal steps.
Reacting to the fresh development, the family of Babu said only a CBI probe will reveal the truth.
Following the uproar, Divya first resigned as president and later she was arrested, after being in jail for days, she secured bail and was released from the Kannur prison.
–IANS
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