KANNUR: BJP state president K Surendran minced no words in his criticism against Kannur district panchayat president P P Divya over Kannur ADM K Naveen Babu’s suicide. Surendran suspected conspiracy in Divya coming to the function uninvited and publicly demeaning the ADM in his farewell function.

K SURENDRAN:

"Here is a fact we are missing. The applicant for the petrol pump and P. P. Divya's husband are close friends. It won’t be a crime to assume Divya's wider agenda in the petrol pump deal. Divya coercing the officials to fast-track the permission for the petrol pump also elicits suspicion about the panchayat president trying to breach existing laws in the country.

A petrol pump cannot be allowed at a bend in the road, due to safety reasons. It is very dubious how Divya reached the event and gave a bilious remark against the ADM leaving all in shock. The haughty attitude was a last-ditch attempt to humiliate the ADM before his transfer to Pathanamthitta. She wanted to somehow hurt the man for delaying the permission to the petrol pump and she won. The whole people of Kerala would support a fair investigation into the death of Naveen Babu."

Following his transfer as Pathanamthitta ADM, Naveen Babu was given a sendoff yesterday under the leadership of the district collector. Divya came to the function and raised allegations of corruption against the ADM.

Divya accused him of corruption in permitting the petrol pump in Chengalai. She left the venue saying that Naveen Babu should not act like this in the place where he was going and that she didn’t want to see him presenting a memento to him. It is reported that Naveen Babu committed suicide because of the humiliation he faced.