Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya Removed From Post After Facing Abetment To Suicide Charges

CPI (M) leader PP Divya was removed from the post of Kannur District Panchayat President by the Left party on Thursday, hours after she was booked for the offence of abetment to suicide in connection with the recent death of former ADM Naveen Babu.

Abu reportedly died by suicide after Divya accused him of corruption during his farewell party, which took place following his transfer to his home district of Pathanamthitta as Additional District Magistrate for the final months of his government service.

The CPI (M) leader was removed from his post hours after Babu's remains were cremated at his home in Malayalapuzha in Pathanamthitta district.

CPI(M)'s Kannur District Secretariat announced her removal late on Thursday night. She will be replaced by advocate K K Ratnakumari, according to the announcement.

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Earlier in the day, Divya was booked under section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the FIR registered at Kannur Town police station. The offence is non-bailable and carries a punishment of 10 years imprisonment.

In its statement, the district secretariat expressed the opinion that she should resign from her position since the police were investigating her case, and Divya also concurred with this suggestion.

Divya also released a statement expressing her sorrow over Babu's death, offering her condolences to the family, and assuring her cooperation with the police investigation.

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She added that she would prove her innocence through legal channels. She also acknowledged the district secretariat's position, stating that her comments were intended as constructive criticism of corruption, but she should have avoided making such remarks during the farewell meeting.

Divya said that, given the ongoing police investigation against her, she believed it was necessary to step down as District Panchayat President and thus, she tendered her resignation.
She said that she has forwarded her resignation to the concerned persons.

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 a day before that by his colleagues and attended by district Collector Arun K Vijayan, the ADM faced allegations of corruption from Divya, who allegedly attended the event without an official invitation.

(With inputs from agency)