KANNUR: The brother of deceased ADM Naveen Babu has complained with the Kannur Town Police, demanding that a case be registered against district panchayat president P P Divya and Prasanth who raised allegations against the late officer. Police, however, clarified that the complaint will be investigated alongside the primary case registered for unnatural death.
The police investigation, led by Kannur Town Station House Officer (SHO) Sreejith Koderi, is under way. The investigation team collected statements from revenue officials who participated in a programme to give farewell to Naveen Babu on October 14.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have intensified protests demanding Divya’s resignation. Youth Congress, Youth League, and BJP activists took out protest marches to Divya’s residence, where clashes with police turned violent. Meanwhile, CPM workers set up a camp outside Divya’s house to shield her. Protesters were eventually arrested and dispersed. BJP also organised a hartal within Kannur Corporation limits over the issue.
Service organisations, including KGMO and the NGO Union, also joined the protests. The Kerala Gazetted Officers Association has called for a judicial inquiry into the matter. Separately, the NGO Union at Kannur Government Medical College submitted a complaint to the principal, urging action against Prashanth for running a private business while holding a government position.
The Congress-led satyagraha, spearheaded by DCC president Martin George, concluded on Wednesday evening. Speaking to TNIE, George alleged that Prasanth, who had accused Naveen Babu of bribery, has close ties with Divya and her husband Ajith, an employee of Kannur Medical College. “The controversial petrol pump is co-owned by a group that includes Ajith, which explains Divya’s repeated requests to Naveen for an NOC,” George told TNIE.
Meanwhile, more CPM leaders distanced themselves from Divya. Senior leaders, including CPM state committee member P K Sreemathi and Speaker A N Shamseer, praised Naveen Babu as an honest official and said his death was tragic. Shamseer added that the government was taking the issue seriously and emphasized that the incident should serve as a lesson for public representatives in handling sensitive matters.
State Human Rights Commission has also taken cognizance of the issue. Acting on a complaint by human rights activist Advocate V Devdas, the commission has directed the district collector and the district police chief to investigate and submit a report within two weeks. The matter will be reviewed during the sitting on November 19.
Naveen Babu’s body, after postmortem at Kannur Government Medical College, was handed over to his relatives who came from Pathanamthitta at 12.40 am on Wednesday. District collector Arun K Vijayan, CPM district secretary M V Jayarajan, and officials from the Kannur Revenue Department accompanied the body to Pathanamthitta.
