CPI-M leader Divya questioned for four hours in ADM suicide case in Kerala

Kannur, November 1 (IANS): CPI-M leader and former Kannur district panchayath president PP Divya was interrogated by the police for about four hours on Friday, a day after she was arrested in connection with the controversial suicide of additional district judge Naveen Babu.

After interrogation, Divya returned to jail.

She will now have to stay in jail till Tuesday when her bail application will be heard by the Thalassery sessions court.

Divya surrendered to the police and was sent to Kannur jail on Thursday after her bail application was rejected.

The sequence of events that landed Divya in jail began when she showed up at Naveen Babu’s farewell function on October 14, despite not being invited, and made some critical remarks.

Naveen Babu committed suicide the very next day (October 15) and following the uproar, Divya first resigned as Kannur district panchayath president and went into hiding for several days after a case was filed against her on October 17.

Meanwhile, demands are coming from several quarters that apart from Divya, Kannur district collector Arun Vijayan and TV insider Prasanth, who has stated that he paid a bribe to Babu to get sanction for his petrol pump, should also join the accused.

Babu’s wife Manjusha and family are in no mood to relent and have said that they will make every effort to find out the truth about why Babu had to commit suicide.

The Congress and the BJP gave her all the support. However, the big surprise was the way the CPI-M committee in Pathanamthitta district is staunchly supporting the Babu family while the party’s Kannur district unit is in a wait-and-watch mode. On the other hand, Divya is receiving solid support from her party.

CPI-M’s Pathanamthitta district secretary KP Udayabhanu said it was the responsibility of the Kerala government to take appropriate action against the district collector.

He also added that Babu’s family has already filed a complaint against the collector.

“As far as action against Divya is concerned, it is an internal matter of the party,” Udayabhanu said.