Kannur (Kerala) | A senior district administration official in Kerala was found dead at his official residence here on Tuesday, a day after facing corruption allegations from the District Panchayat president during his farewell ceremony.
Police said Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Kannur, Naveen Babu K, who was supposed to reach his home district of Pathanamthitta on Tuesday morning to take charge as ADM there, was found hanging in his quarters.
At his farewell ceremony organised by his colleagues and attended by district Collector Arun K Vijayan, the ADM faced allegations of corruption from District Panchayat president P P Divya, who allegedly attended the event without an official invitation.
The death of Babu, allegedly by suicide, has sparked a row in the state, with the opposition Congress seeking the resignation of Divya, who is the ruling CPI(M)'s Kannur district panchayat president.
The Congress leaders alleged that the humiliation Babu suffered from Divya during his send-off ceremony was the reason for his extreme step. They demanded that Divya be arrested.
Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan described the death of the official as a sad incident and stated that a serious investigation would be conducted into it. He said that there were no complaints of corruption against Babu.
In an indirect message to Divya, the minister said that elected representatives, if any, must possess maturity and public awareness when engaging with the broader society.
The police, which conducted the inquest into the body, reported that they did not find a suicide note.
Rejecting the police version, the Youth Congress alleged that the police destroyed evidence to protect the culprits involved in the incident.
The relatives of Babu rejected the narrative from certain quarters attempting to "portray" him as corrupt.
They said Babu's family had been followers of the Left party since his parents' time, and both Babu and his wife were members of Left-backed service organisations.
Attending the send-off ceremony of Babu allegedly without an official invitation on Tuesday, the District Panchayat president had 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.
The death of the official came to light when his wife, a tehsildar, and their children went to Chengannur railway station on Tuesday morning to receive Babu, who was supposed to take charge as ADM Pathanamthitta, later in the day.
When Babu was not found on the train, the family tried to reach him on his mobile phone, but it went unanswered. They subsequently contacted his colleagues in Kannur, and during their search, they found Babu hanging in his quarters.
Meanwhile, a protest erupted in Kannur by supporters of the Congress, seeking the resignation of Divya.
Talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan alleged that the death of the ADM is equivalent to murder.
He said the arrogance and contempt shown by the district panchayat president towards the ADM are unacceptable.
Satheesan said a case should be registered, and an investigation must be conducted to bring the culprit to justice.
Meanwhile, Prasanthan, who was planning to start a petrol pump in Chengalai, alleged that he paid a bribe to Babu, the ADM of Kannur, to obtain a NOC for the petrol pump license.
He claimed that although he had submitted an application for petrol pump approval, Babu delayed the process for six months, stating that the file needed to be reviewed.
Prasanthan further alleged that he was later called to Babu's residence and asked for money. He said that he had also emailed a complaint against Babu to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The Youth Congress alleged that Prasanthan was a CPI(M) member and a close relative of a party leader. The organisation also claimed there was a conspiracy behind Prasanthan's allegations.
The BJP also held a protest march towards the district panchayat office, seeking the resignation of Divya. The party also called for the registration of a case against Divya.