Kannur ADM Death: CPI(M) leader and former district panchayat president P.P. Divya taken into custody

Kerala CPIM leader P.P. Divya taken into custody in connection with ADM Naveen Babu's death after bail plea rejection.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPIM] leader and former Kannur district panchayat president P.P. Divya has been taken into custody in connection with the death of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu.

Ms. Divya surrendered at Kannapuram, Kannur, shortly after her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Thalassery Principal Sessions Court on Tuesday (October 29, 2024).

Following her surrender, the police transported her to the Kannur Crime Branch office for questioning. Ms. Divya will undergo a medical examination before being presented in court.

Speaking to the media, Kannur Police Commissioner Ajith Kumar said that no special treatment was given to Ms. Divya, noting that actions such as her arrest were pending due to the ongoing bail plea. With the court’s decision against her bail, the police quickly proceeded to take her into custody, he said.

Though the Commissioner told the media that the accused will be brought to the Kannur town police station, the police brought Ms. Divya secretly to the Crime Branch office.

According to reports, Ms. Divya’s surrender came at the direction of her party, the CPIM, following widespread public protests against her non-arrest.

The case dates back to October 15 when Naveen Babu was found dead in his quarters at Pallikunnu.