Top official found dead day after being criticised by CPM leader in Kannur
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CPI(M) leader and Kannur district panchayat president P P Divya and Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu (file photos)
Kannur: A day after he was given a send-off by his colleagues, including the Kannur District Collector, from the north Kerala district, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu was found dead at his quarters in Pallikunnu here on Tuesday.
Police said Babu, who was supposed to return to his home district of Pathanamthitta a day earlier to take charge as ADM there, was found hanging in his quarters on Tuesday morning.
At his farewell ceremony, Babu faced insinuation of wrongdoing from District Panchayat president P P Divya, who reportedly attended the event without an official invitation.
The District Panchayat president, belonging to the ruling CPI(M), implicitly criticised the ADM for delaying the approval of a petrol pump in Chengalai for several months.
Divya accused the ADM of granting approval only two days after being transferred and hinted that she knew the reasons behind this sudden approval.
Speaking in the presence of the District Collector and Babu's other colleagues, she also stated that more information would be revealed within two days.
After concluding her speech, Divya declined to stay for the presentation of a memento, saying she did not wish to stand for it, and left the stage.
(PTI with minor edits)
