2 days ago
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The Kerala Cabinet connected Thursday issued a notification requesting the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the politically arguable decease of erstwhile Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) K. Naveen Babu.
Officials said the Cabinet determination was based connected the bereaved family’s petition. The authorities besides notified the Centre of the petition nether Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act. Officials said the CBI would measure the lawsuit and counsel the Central authorities to assistance the bureau jurisdictional authorization to probe the ADM’s death.
Naveen Babu was recovered dormant successful his authoritative quarters aft attending a farewell gathering hosted by his colleagues astatine the Kannur District Collectorate successful October 2024.
Naveen Babu’s household attributed the decease to the alleged nationalist humiliation meted retired to the ADM astatine the relation by Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] person and past Kannur territory president P.P. Divya.
Ms. Divya had reportedly arrived uninvited astatine the relation and allegedly insinuated that corrupt intent had prevented the ADM from granting a timely authorisation to a backstage entrepreneur seeking to acceptable up a substance outlet successful the district. Subsequently, the constabulary arraigned Ms. Divya arsenic the sole accused successful the lawsuit connected the complaint of abetting the ADM’s suicide.
Police cover-up alleged
However, Naveen Babu’s household alleged a State constabulary cover-up to shield Ms Divya and demanded that the CBI probe the “benami angle” successful the case. They besides alleged that the concern grounds of the steadfast represented by the applicant for the substance depot had disappeared from the District Collectorate. The household besides raised suspicions astir the circumstances surrounding Naveen Babu’s decease and doubted the forensic introspection report’s veracity.
The High Court and the Supreme Court had earlier turned down the family’s plea for a CBI probe, based connected an affidavit filed by the past Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
Naveen Babu’s decease had caused a governmental storm, with the UDF, past successful the Opposition, accusing the CPI(M) of duplicity by “falsely declaring” solidarity with Naveen Babu’s household portion subverting the constabulary to prevention Ms Divya from ineligible jeopardy.
The UDF had besides projected the CPI(M) information of the probe serviceman successful the Naveen Babu case, T.K. Ratnakumar, arsenic the party’s campaigner from the Kottur municipal ward successful Sreekandapuram municipality successful Kannur successful the section assemblage elections, arsenic a telling illustration of the LDF government’s Janus-faced attack successful the case. It had besides demanded that the past Kannur District Collector, Arun K. Vijayan, beryllium brought nether the ambit of the constabulary probe.
