ADM’s suicide: Collector denies inviting PP Divya to Naveen Babu's farewell function

Kannur: Kannur District Collector Arun K. Vijayan clarified that he did not invite CPM’s former District Panchayat President PP Divya to the farewell function held for Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu.

Addressing the media here, the collector stressed that he was not involved in organising the farewell function.

When asked whether he invited Divya to the farewell, Vijayan explained that the function had been arranged by the staff council, not by him. He emphasised that, as he was not the organiser, he was not responsible for inviting anyone. This response directly contradicts Divya's earlier claim that she had attended the function based on an invitation from the collector.

Vijayan further remarked that since an official investigation into the matter has been announced, it would be difficult to provide more details at this stage, and that the investigation should be allowed to take its course.

Regarding the letter sent to the family of the late ADM Naveen Babu, the collector clarified that it was not an admission of guilt but was intended to express condolences to the grieving family.

Earlier, Kannur District Collector Arun K. Vijayan was excluded from the charge of investigating the events leading to the death of Naveen Babu. The decision to remove him from the case was taken following instructions from Revenue Minister K Rajan. Joint Commissioner of Land Revenue, A. Geetha, has been assigned to lead the investigation.