Congress leaders and workers staged a protest in front of the District panchayat office in Kannur on Tuesday following the death of Kannur District Magistrate Naveen Babu. | Photo Credit: SK MOHAN
Praveen Babu, the brother of Admin District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu who was found dead under mysterious circumstances, filed a complaint with the Kannur City police on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) night. He asked for a case to be registered against Communist Party Of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader and district panchayat president PP Divya, alleging that he raised false allegations against his brother, leading him to commit suicide.
According to Praveen Babu’s complaint, Miss Divya is said to have threatened ADM Naveen Babu, who she believes is involved in her brother’s suicide. He asked for an investigation into the involvement of Divya and Prashant, the owner of the petrol pump, in the incidents that led to ADM’s death.
The political tension is high in Kannur following these incidents. The BJP called for a hartal in the Kannur Municipal Corporation area today, demanding a thorough investigation into Ms Divya. Congress and BJP also started a protest march to Divya’s residence, demanding her immediate resignation and accountability for her alleged role in Naveen Babu’s death. Increased police force has been deployed near Divya’s house to prevent untoward incidents.
Allegations raised at the export event
Naveen Babu was found dead shortly after the eviction ceremony at the Kannur Collectorate conference hall, where Ms. Divya made allegations against him publicly. In this event, Ms. Divya accused ADM of delaying the approval of the petrol pumping license in Chemagai and pointed out corruption. His comments were made in the presence of District Collector Arun K. Vijayan.
Ms. Divya, who was not scheduled to attend the meeting, came unexpectedly and left immediately after her speech, which also criticized the administrative action of ADM Naveen Babu.
The Family’s Need for Justice
Praveen Babu said that his brother is not known to have a questionable service record, and he rejected attempts to discredit him. He urged the authorities to investigate why Ms. Divya came forward with such serious allegations about her brother and what role the owner of the petrol pump had in these allegations.
Naveen Babu’s family has expressed that they are determined to reveal the truth about his death and clear his name of corruption charges. They believe that the circumstances that led to his death require a thorough investigation.
Police Register a Case of Natural Death
The Kannur City police have registered a case of unnatural death, suspecting suicide, but have not yet decided to expand the investigation to include charges against those named in the complaint. Naveen Babu, who was recently transferred from Kannur to his hometown in Pathanamthitta, was found dead at Pallikunnu in Kannur the morning after his posting.
Further developments are awaited as the police continue their investigation into this case, looking into these allegations and related to the death of ADM Naveen Babu.
Meanwhile, Naveen Babu’s cremation has been postponed to allow the post-mortem process. His body has been handed over to the family after a post-mortem at the Kannur Government Medical College Hospital, and the cremation is now scheduled to take place at his home in Pathanamthitta.
Political dignitaries, including CPI(M) state secretary MV Jayarajan and RSS leader Valsan Thillankeri, paid their respects to Naveen Babu at the hospital, with Jayarajan and others accompanying the body to Pathanamthitta. Ms. Divya has yet to issue a public statement regarding the allegations against her
Published – October 16, 2024 09:29 am IST
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