Several questions are floating in the political atmosphere of Kerala following the shocking suicide of Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu on October 15 at his official residence. The reasons for this tragic death are allegedly linked to a humiliating speech made by CPM leader and Kannur District Panchayat President P.P. Divya, in the presence of Kannur District Collector Arun K. Vijayan during a farewell meeting of the Naveen Babu.
CPM leader Divya made her speech during the farewell ceremony for the ADM’s transfer to Pathanamthitta, his native district, where she is said to have been an uninvited guest for the event.”
Kerala: Kannur ADM found dead in official residence amid allegations of corruption; CPM leader’s involvement suspected https://t.co/SbuHn88hLf
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) October 16, 2024
Enquiries have revealed that Naveen Babu was honest, incorruptible, and straightforward. It has also been revealed that T.V. Prashanthan, who claimed to have bribed the ADM for the petrol filling station license, is a fraud. Moreover, Divya has been charged with abetting suicide.
Organiser weekly has carried various stories concerning this issue.
The CPM has removed P P Divya from her position as District Panchayat President amid growing backlash following the alleged suicide of Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu. A police case has been registered against her
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) October 18, 2024
Interestingly, the latest report from Kannur suggests that Divya has made around 26 foreign trips over the last three years since she took over as the District Panchayat President. There are allegations that these trips are mysterious. It is not clear if investigative agencies are looking into them. The source of her travel expenses remains a million-dollar question. There are also allegations that the controversial petrol filling station is Divya’s benami deal, and that awarding Panchayat contracts to a single company is another such deal. Now, Divya is absconding, and more corruption stories and controversial deals are unfolding one after another.
Another surprising detail is the news suggesting that, despite her removal from the position of Kannur District Panchayat President, Divya still remains a member of the School Curriculum Committee Core Group. Interestingly, her selection to the Committee was due to her status as District Panchayat President. Now, Kulathoor Jaysingh, a social activist, has complained to the state Chief Secretary in this regard, as she is no longer the District Panchayat President. Her colleague on the Committee is Thiruvananthapuram City Mayor Arya Rajendran, who recently made headlines for several controversial reasons, including an unreasonable altercation with a poor Kerala Road Transport Corporation bus driver that resulted in his termination from service.
The aforementioned details speak out that a petrol pump license is a mere tip of the iceberg.
In the meantime, Aam Admi Party’s (AAP) Kannur district president Shaji Thekkemuriyil, has filed a complaint before the Vigilance Department alleging corruption against P.P. Divya. The complaint alleges that during Divya’s stint as the president of the district panchayat, proxy transactions dominated the contracts awarded; contracts were awarded to a single company since she took over.
BJP State president K Surendran stated that P P Divya, who is alleged to have abetted the suicide of Naveen Babu, is protected. He said people know who protects her.
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh alleged that if Divya is properly interrogated, the involvement of some big shots would be exposed.
AAP alleges that since Divya took over in 2021, prefabricated construction contracts worth Rs 12 crore have been awarded to a single company, Carton India Alliance Private Limited. It says a member of Divya’s Local Committee of CPM led the formation of this company, and he is the managing director. The complaint states that even though the first contract was given to SILK, a public sector undertaking, all other contracts have been awarded to a single company called Carton India Alliance Private Limited since the last three years.
Meanwhile, reports state that the Enforcement Directorate looks into the allegation raised by P.P. Divya during Naveen Babu’s farewell programme. She had raised a bribery allegation in connection with a petrol pump license issued by Naveen Babu in favour of T.V. Prashanthan. And ADM Naveen Babu committed suicide in less than 12 hours. But a question remains unanswered even after nearly a fortnight: Prashanthan is a mere employee of a government medical college; however, it is a mystery that he organised about one lakh rupees “to bribe Naveen Babu” (as he claimed).
An investigation is expected to be carried out under Section 13-B of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). It addresses financial misappropriations. The offenses coming under the Act are classified as scheduled offenses under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Under Section 3 of PMLA, a probe shall be initiated against anyone who directly or indirectly attempts to engage in or assist in any corrupt activity. This is not music for P.P. Divya’s ears.
The 2018 amendment to the PCA stipulates that individuals shall report coerced bribes within seven days; otherwise, they will invite criminal charges. Consequently, Prashanthan could face charges for failing to disclose the alleged payment he made to Naveen Babu.
Now, the entire episode is a bundle of shameless acts. And CPM is in a ‘Catch-22’ situation.
On October 22, the Kerala Governor Dr Arif Mohammed Khan visited the family members of the deceased ADM Naveen Babu at his residence in Malayalappuzha, Pathanamthitta district. He talked to Manjusha Naveen Babu and her children. He said that he would intervene if they (Naveen’s family members) felt it necessary and if they complained.
