CPI(M) panel proposes to downgrade P.P. Divya

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has initiated measures to remove former Kannur district panchayat president P.P. Divya from all party posts amid the ongoing investigation into her alleged role in the suicide of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) K. Naveen Babu.

The decision of the Kannur district committee will now be referred to the State committee for approval. If it endorses the action, Ms. Divya will be demoted from the Kannur district committee to a branch, a significant downgrade in her status within the party.

Ms. Divya’s actions have been deemed a “serious failure,” according to party sources. The CPI(M)’s decision coincides with the judicial proceedings in the Thalassery District Court on Ms. Divya’s bail application. Ms. Divya remains in custody now.

Meanwhile, the police investigation into the ADM’s suicide is in the final stages. The investigation team recently collected CCTV footage showing T.V Prashant, who accused the ADM of taking bribe for giving nod for a petrol bunk, arriving at a Vigilance office here on the day of Naveen’s farewell ceremony and leaving at 1.40 p.m.

The police have yet to record statements from Naveen’s family and Kannur District Collector Arun K. Vijayan. Commissioner of Land Revenue Joint A. Geetha, who led a separate Revenue department inquiry, submitted a report absolving Naveen of any departmental failures.