Death of Naveen Babu | Will launch investigation against Kannur Collector if there is complaint: Minister K Rajan

Following the growing backlash against Kannur District Collector Arun K Vijayan following the death of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu, Revenue Minister K Rajan said the government would initiate an inquiry if a complaint official was filed against the official.

“We are keeping Naveen Babu’s family close. We will investigate the conspiracy aspect if there is a complaint against the collector,” Rajan said. The minister sought a detailed report from the Kannur district collector on the issue.

CITU chief Malayalapuzha Mohanan alleged that the district collector insisted on organizing a farewell event despite Naveen’s objections. “Naveen resisted the farewell as he still had some service time left. However, the collector insisted and invited PP Divya to the event. How can an uninvited guest speak at the event without permission of the collector? The possibility of a conspiracy must be examined,” he said.

Meanwhile, Naveen Babu’s brother Praveen Babu expressed partial satisfaction over Divya’s resignation as Kannur district panchayat president. “I am relieved that she has resigned and is no longer in power,” he remarked.

On Thursday, the CPM forced Divya to resign as panchayat president after police filed a case against her for abetting suicide, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Announcing her resignation via Facebook, Divya said she would fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

Naveen Babu was found dead at his official residence in Kannur on Tuesday morning. Reports suggest that he committed suicide following public humiliation and corruption allegations from Divya during his farewell event on Monday. Divya had accused Naveen Babu of corruption for allegedly delaying the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NoC) to Prashanthan, an entrepreneur seeking to open a petrol pump in Chengalayi, Kannur.