Kannur District Collector Arun K Vijayan on Friday wrote a letter to the family of Kannur ADM Naveen Babu, who died by suicide, expressing his shock and grief over his colleague's passing.
Naveen Babu was found hanging in his official residence after he was snubbed by the then-district panchayat president P P Divya at his farewell meeting held at the Kannur Collectorate.
Arun was present at the meeting when Divya, who came uninvited, made incriminating remarks against Naveen Babu. In his letter addressed to the deceased's wife and daughters, the Collector said that he was still shaken by death. "What happened should never have occurred. It is an irreparable loss. My words can't express the pain, loss and shock I feel about Naveen's demise, even as I wish to partake in the grief of the family. At present, there is only darkness around me. I can only pray that everyone has the strength to get through this difficult phase," Arun wrote.
He praised Naveen Babu for his dedication. "He was my dear colleague I could entrust with any kind of official assignment. I had known him for eight months. He always did his duty with efficiency and compassion. He worked shoulder to shoulder with me," he said.
"I don't know how to console you, what to tell you. I can't recover from this shock," Arun said. "I wanted to be there for the funeral, I was in Pathanamthitta, but I couldn't," he added.
Following Naveen Babu's death, Arun has been coping with resentment from the revenue department staff, who felt he should have protected the ADM from the Divy's criticism. Revenue Minister K Rajan has said the state would inquire into the Collector if a formal complaint is filed against the civil servant.
