ADM’s suicide: Guilty will not be spared, assures minister K. Rajan

Kozhikode: Minister for Revenue and Housing K. Rajan on Thursday said that no one involved in the suicide of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu will be spared. Talking to media, he said that he is yet to receive the report from Land Revenue Joint Commissioner A Geetha but is expecting it soon.

Rajan said, “I will go to any length to ensure that the culprits are brought to justice. I was among the first to state that the ADM would not take such a drastic step and my stance remains unchanged.” He further noted that a detailed inquiry has been initiated by the Revenue Department and the findings will be made public, adding the process of file transfer is also under investigation.

While commenting about the investigation, Rajan clarified that the police investigation falls outside the jurisdiction of the Revenue Department and hence he refrained from commenting on its progress. He reiterated his belief that Naveen Babu was an honest officer. The minister also addressed the change in the farewell event in Kannur, clarifying it had been pre-decided and stated that the Kannur collector should not be linked to the incident.

Rajan said the government can comment only after the first phase of the investigation is completed. "The investigation is progressing in the right direction," he said.

Naveen Babu was found dead by suicide in his quarters in Pallikkunnu, Kannur, on the morning of October 15. The incident occurred just a day after District Panchayat President PP Divya publicly criticised him during his farewell meeting, accusing him of corrupt practices. Divya alleged that the ADM was involved in issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a petrol pump under questionable circumstances and claimed to possess documents to support her allegations. She hinted at releasing these documents at a later time.

Following Naveen Babu's death, the CPM district leadership removed her from the post of district panchayat president.