ADM death: Kannur Dist Panchayat chief booked

PTI Kannur: A case was registered against Kannur District Panchayat President P PDivya, who is also a CPI(M) leader, on Thursday for the offence of abetment to suicide in connection with the recent death of former ADM Naveen Babu. Babu allegedly died by suicide after Divya levelled corruption allegations against him during his farewell party following his transfer to his home district of Pathanamthitta as ADM for the last few months of his government service. The CPI(M) leader was booked under section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the FIR registered at Kannur Town police station. Police had initially lodged a case for unnatural death and section 108 of BNS was added to it later.The offence under section 108 of BNS is non-bailable and carries a punishment of 10 years imprisonment. Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Kannur, Naveen Babu K, who was supposed to reach his home district of Pathanamthitta on Tuesday morning to take charge as ADM there, was found hanging in his quarters.At his farewell ceremony organised a day before that by his colleagues and attended by district Collector Arun K Vijayan, the ADM faced allegations of corruption from Divya, who allegedly attended the event without an official invitation.

She had criticised the ADM for delaying the approval of a petrol pump in Chengalai for several months and said he approved only two days after being transferred, hinting that she knew the reasons behind this sudden approval. The death of the official came to light when his wife, a tehsildar, and their children went to Chengannur railway station on Tuesday morning to receive Babu, who was supposed to take charge as ADM Pathanamthitta, later in the day. When Babu was not found on the train, the family tried to reach him on his mobile phone, but it went unanswered. They subsequently contacted his colleagues in Kannur, and during their search, they found Babu hanging in his quarters. The death of Babu has sparked a row in the state, with the opposition Congress seeking the resignation of Divya, who is the ruling CPI(M)'s Kannur district panchayat president, and her arrest.