KANNUR: Collector Arun K Vijayan on Saturday said that he was not the organiser of the farewell function organised at the collectorate on October 14, in which district panchayat president P P Divya -- who has since been removed from the post -- reprimanded Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu. However, the collector, while interacting with the media, refused to answer whether he had invited Divya to the function.
Land Revenue Joint Commissioner A Geetha, who has been entrusted with a detailed inquiry into the developments, has recorded the statements of the district collector and the staff council members who attended the farewell function.
It may be recalled that in her anticipatory bail petition, Divya has said that she was informed of the meeting by the collector. Asked why he did not prevent Divya, who was not among the invitees, from speaking, he said there were some protocol issues. The collector said his letter to the late Naveen’s family should not be construed as a confession but as an expression of empathy to the bereaved party.
At the same time, questions have been raised about the authenticity of the complaint filed by T V Prasanthan, the owner of the petrol pump, against the ADM. It was pointed out that the signature in the complaint and the one on the lease agreement for the land for the pump appear to be different. The names have also been spelt differently on the two documents.
Meanwhile, an activist has approached the additional chief secretary (home) with a plea to replace the investigating officer in the case. A team led by Town Circle Inspector Sreejith Koderi is probing the case.
In the petition, Adv Kulathoor Jaising said the police officer has a personal relationship with the accused Divya. He said the circle inspector should be relieved of the investigation responsibility and the case handed over to an IPS officer.