Kannur: A court has ordered further investigation into the death of K. Naveen Babu, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Kannur, whose alleged suicide in October 2024 sparked political controversy and protests in Kerala.

Babu was found hanging in his official quarters on October 15, 2024, a day after a confrontation during his farewell ceremony in Kannur. He had been relieved from his post and was preparing to join duty in his home district of Pathanamthitta following a transfer.

At the farewell event on October 14, then Kannur District Panchayat president P. P. Divya allegedly attended the programme uninvited and publicly accused Babu of corruption and accepting bribes in connection with a petrol pump No-Objection Certificate (NOC). The remarks were made in front of colleagues and officials.

Babu was found dead the following morning.

Subsequent inquiries conducted by the state government and the revenue department found no evidence of corruption or intentional delay in the handling of the petrol pump file.