Kannur Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu was found dead in his quarters in Pallikunnu, a day after he was given a send-off by his colleagues. Babu was to return to his home district Pathanamthitta to take charge as the ADM there.
His farewell ceremony, presided by the district collector, was marred by allegations of corruption levelled against him by Kannur district panchayat president P.P. Divya.
She came uninvited to the farewell ceremony and raised allegations against Babu regarding an NOC for a petrol pump at Chengalayi. In a video from the farewell meeting, Divya is seen saying that she had tried to contact the ADM regarding the NOC, but he did not answer her calls. "When he finally did, I told him to take the necessary steps if there were no issues with the application. I asked him to visit the site, and he agreed. Later, after the visit, he informed me that there were some issues. Now, I have learnt that the NOC has been issued, and I know the circumstances surrounding it.”
A CPI(M) leader representing Kalliasseri in the district panchayat, Divya also added that she did not want to present a memento to Babu, and said the reason for it would be revealed in two days. She left the meeting immediately after making the allegations.
Babu, who was supposed to board a morning train, was found hanging in his bedroom this morning. He was reportedly disturbed by Divya's allegations.
Opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan termed the incident “shocking”, and likened it to a murder. “The officer came from a CPI(M) family and was part of a CPI(M)-backed service organisation. There are no allegations of corruption against him, even from those in other service organisations. It appears the district panchayat president attended that meeting uninvited to settle personal scores, which may have contributed to this tragic outcome,” he said.
However, a purported complaint against the ADM sent to the Chief Minister's Office on October 10, has been doing the rounds on social media. The complainant is reportedly a CPI(M) member. THE WEEK could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter.
Meanwhile, Revenue Minister K. Rajan said that the department has not received any complaint against Babu, and added that the ADM was an innocent man.
