Massive protests have erupted in Kannur following the suspected death by suicide of Additional District Magistrate(ADM) Naveen Babu, demanding action against PP Divya, CPI-M leader and president of the Kannut district Panachayat , who made insensitive comments against ADM at a function in Kannur on Monday.
Congress, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and BJP workers took out protest marches to the district panchayat office demanding Divya’s resignation and a police case against her for complicity in the ADM’s death. The youth organizations of these parties also held protest marches, with slogans calling Divya “Dracula”. Irrespective of their political affiliations, government employees also staged a united protest at the Kannur Collectorate, demanding action against Divya
He was found dead at his quarters at Pallikkunnu in Kannur on Tuesday. Naveen Babu, who was supposed to return to his home district of Pathanamthitta a day earlier to take charge as ADM there, was found hanging in his quarters on Tuesday morning. At his farewell ceremony, he faced allegations of wrongdoing from District Panchayat president P P Divya, who reportedly attended the event without an official invitation. it is suspected that this upset him , leading to take his own life.
The Congress and BJP have held Divya responsible for his death and demanded immediate action against her . On Tuesday , Congress and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers marched to the Kannur district Panchayat Office, demanding Divya’s resignation. Activists of Yuva Morcha also burned an effigy of Divya during the demonstration
Opposition Leader VD Satheesan alleged that Naveen Babu took the extreme step after Divya attended Babu’s farewell event, to which she was not invited, and insulted him publicly. He also alleged that Divya had a personal vendetta against the ADM and that her actions led to his tragic death. “This is a shocking incident, amounting to murder… He took this extreme step after she crashed his farewell event and humiliated him to seek personal revenge. This has shaken the conscience of Kerala,” Satheesan said.
KPCC President K Sudhakaran alleged that Divya abetted Babu’s suicide. “Naveen Babu was an honest officer. I met him several times during his tenure in Kannur, and there were no complaints against him. Why did she attend the event when she wasn’t invited? What was her motive?” Sudhakaran asked. He also demanded that Divya be booked for abetting suicide
Naveen Babu was transferred to his native district of Pathanamthitta as he had only six more months of service left in the Revenue Department. “She went to the farewell meeting to which she was not invited. The collector chaired the meeting and it was open only to revenue officials. But she went there and publicly humiliated Naveen Babu,” he said
.Meanwhile, revenue minister K Rajan called Naveen Babu an honest civil servant and said the government had not received any complaint against him. “He was a capable and honest official, someone who could be entrusted with the responsibility with confidence,” he said, adding that he had sought a preliminary report on the matter from district collector Arun K Vijayan. “Representatives of the people, regardless of who they are, must show maturity in their words, actions and interactions in public life,” the minister said.