In a tragic incident, Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu was on Tuesday found hanging at his residence near here. Babu was found dead in the morning even as his wife was waiting for him at the Chengannur railway station. He had seven more months to retire and had been transferred to his home district Pathanamthitta. Babu, according to people, was deeply hurt when at his send-off function held here on Monday afternoon, a top CPI(M) leader PP Divya, the Kannur district panchayat president had made some impolite remarks against him.
Divya had not been invited to the function and had barged in. She said that a person had approached her to speak to Babu with regards to the sanctioning of a petrol pump station despite several requests, which he had not been giving. But, just two days before his retirement, Babu gave the sanction, she alleged, adding that she knows how the sanction was given and will be revealed in two days. After saying this, the uninvited Divya left the venue. After his wife found out that Babu had not boarded the train she made attempts to reach her husband and it was then the news surfaced that Babu had committed suicide by hanging to death at his residence in Kannur.
Meanwhile, the Congress party was protesting near the house of the deceased. “We do not believe or have trust in the police. We demand that the inquest should be prepared in the presence of clean officers. We do not want to have people like Divya to be part of the team when the police make the report,” said Kannur district Congress president Martin George, who added that Divya should be charged for the death of Babu. An uncle of Babu, who identified himself as a local CPI(M) official in Pathanamthitta said Babu is known for his clean public life and good track record.
State BJP president K.Surendran said the need of the hour is for Divya to quit her post and face a probe. “The entire episode happened in the presence of the Kannur district collector and the police should take a statement from the collector. The police should probe the role of Divya,” said Surendran.
–IANS
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