CPM Kannur district secretary M V Jayarajan adopted a neutral stance on Sunday regarding P P Divya, who faces charges of abetment in the alleged suicide of Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu. Speaking at the CPM area committee meeting here at Peringome, Jayarajan asserted that there was "no need to favour or ignore Divya," underscoring the party’s call for a thorough investigation into the allegations against her.
“This is not about taking sides with either the ADM’s family or former CPM district committee president P P Divya,” he stated. “The ADM’s family has experienced a loss, and they are grieving. The party respects their sorrow and has already made an organisational decision on this matter.” Jayarajan questioned how the CPM could overlook Divya, especially if she had accepted the party’s decision.
The CPM had previously removed Divya from all elected posts inside the party as a disciplinary measure after the case was registered against her following Naveen Babu's death. Jayarajan criticised the media for circulating statements purportedly from Divya that, according to him, she never made. He also noted conflicting accounts regarding the bribery allegations surrounding the ADM, suggesting that two versions of events exist.
Naveen Babu was found dead in his official residence in Kannur shortly after his farewell meeting, during which Divya allegedly accused him of accepting a bribe from businessman Prashanth in exchange for a No Objection Certificate (NoC) for a fuel station. According to an investigation report from the Director of Medical Education, Prashanth confirmed the bribery claims and CCTV footage supported his meetings with the ADM. Divya was granted bail by the Thalassery sessions court and walked out of the prison on Friday after spending eleven days inside the Pallikkunnu Women’s Jail.
