Kerala: Divya arrested, Kannur Collector under scanner in ADM suicide case

Kannur, Oct 30 (IANS) Kannur District Collector Arun Vijayan has pointed fingers against Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu in the controversial suicide case involving the CPI-M leader P.P. Divya.

The Collector, in his statement to the police, has said that Babu confessed to him of having done a ‘wrong’.

Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal has slammed the collector, saying that he has no right to continue in his position.

“The collector has been forced to make such a statement and the CPI-M is a master in it. They intervened in the system to ensure that all whom they want to be protected are protected. It’s shameless for the collector to have given such a statement,” said Venugopal.

State BJP president K. Surendran said the Kerala Chief Minister must be also included as an accused in the case along with Divya.

Babu was found hanging on October 15 in his home, and a case against Divya for her remarks was registered on October 17.

She made the speech at a function of Babu that took place in the Kannur collectorate on October 14th and Divya who was not an invitee to the function barged into it and made the speech.

She had alleged that Babu withheld a sanction for a petrol pump and just before his transfer orders came he gave the sanction.

Incidentally, this statement deeply hurt Babu, who committed suicide at his official quarters by hanging.

State Revenue Minister K. Rajan was the first person to have given a clean chit to Babu and termed him as one of the cleanest officials in his department.

--IANS

sg/dan