Published Nov 01, 2024 | 12:36 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 01, 2024 | 12:36 PM
Naveen Babu, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Kannur, was found dead at his official residence in Pallikkunnu following serious corruption allegations made against him by Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya.
The Thalassery Principal Sessions Court in Kerala on Friday, 1 November, sent former Kannur district panchayat president and CPI(M) leader PP Divya to police custody till 5 pm on the day.
The court was considering the custodial application submitted by Kannur Town Police who had demanded a two-day custody of Divya. It is also expected to consider the bail application of Divya on Friday.
Divya surrendered before the police on 29 October in connection with the death by suicide of former Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu. It is alleged that her remarks against Naveen abetted him to take the extreme step.
Meanwhile, K Manjusha, wife of late Naveen Babu, on Thursday called out the statement of Kannur Collector Arun K Vijayan who said the ADM had told him that he made a “mistake”.
Speaking to reporters, Manjusha said the collector was not close enough with Naveen for him to disclose such personal matters.
“Whatever he is saying is a lie. Naveen Babu had no personal relationship with the collector. There is no chance that Naveen could have told him anything to him. The collector, who treats his subordinates poorly, is not someone with whom personal matters could be shared. I don’t believe the collector. His statements are suspicious,” she said, reported The New Indian Express.
The Collector’s statement was mentioned in the order issued by Thalassery Sessions Judge KT Nisar Ahammed who denied anticipatory bail to Divya.
However, the court observed that the district collector’s statement could not be considered proof of the ADM taking a bribe for issuing a no-objection certificate for a fuel station.
Land Revenue Joint Commissioner A Geetha, who led the departmental inquiry into the death of Naveen Babu had submitted her findings to the government on 24 October.
Geetha has revealed that Divya was responsible for leaking the farewell function video to the media. The footage depicted Naveen Babu being publicly humiliated during his farewell meeting.
The inquiry confirmed that allegations against Naveen Babu, which claimed he had delayed actions on a file concerning a fuel station, were baseless.
Additionally, the Joint Commissioner has procured video footage from the television news channels that broadcasted the incident and gathered statements from the media personnel involved.
However, Divya has not been cooperative throughout the investigation, prompting the Land Revenue Commissioner to refrain from recording her statements.
During the inquiry, Arun refuted the claims of any conspiracy surrounding the farewell meeting. Arun said he had a conversation with Divya on the morning of 14 October, during the Social Solidarity Week celebration that he was overseeing. It was during this event that Divya asked about the timing of the farewell meeting.
Divya mentioned a specific incident involving a No Objection Certificate (NOC) request for a petrol pump in Chengalayi. She had asked the ADM to visit the site, but despite following up, the applicant expressed frustration over the lack of progress. The ADM later informed her that issuing the NOC would be challenging due to the sharp curves in the area.
While she acknowledged that the NOC was eventually granted just before the ADM’s departure, Divya expressed mixed feelings about how it was obtained.
Following his death, acomplaint raised by the proprietor of the petrol pump has also surfaced. The complaint was allegedly raised by Prasanthan T V with the Chief Minister on 10 October.
In it, he alleged that Naveen Babu has purportedly delayed the sanctioning of the pump and he demanded an amount of ₹1 lakh as a bribe. He then stated that he handed over ₹98,500 to Naveen and the sanction was eventually granted.
The Collector also noted that the delay in relieving Naveen Babu from his position in Kannur, following his transfer order, was due to a staff shortage.
Additionally, TV Prasanth stated that he had not communicated any prior intentions regarding his plans to open a fuel station. He only reached out to Divya after encountering delays in securing the necessary license and informed her of the situation at that time.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
